Author's Note: I can't believe I'm writing this. It's been six long years since I last updated. For anyone still following this story, I'm so sorry I'll have more info on why it's taken me so long in my Profile. I've received many amazing private messages, reviews, and asks on Tumblr over the years. All of them have been very much appreciated. Honestly, I'm very nervous about posting this. My writing has grown very much since I last updated. I wondered if I could match the same voice/style I had previously written. It's been a while since I tackled third-person so I really hope this suffices.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Up The Wolves" by The Mountain Goats.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Up The Wolves

Rue's bottom lip trembled, a stone sinking to the bottom of her queasy stomach. Out of all the suggestions, Fili really had to go there, didn't he? It wasn't like Rue wouldn't enjoy being married to Thorin, but—but this wouldn't be getting married because they wanted to. This would be like a hostage-marriage? Get hitched so Rue wouldn't be stuck with Naji for the rest of forever kind-of-marriage.

"Have you forgotten we are not allowed to marry outside of our race?" Balin said, shaking his head as he made a soft noise of disapproval.

"That is precisely what will be our advantage in such dire circumstances."

They turned to find Nori had spoken. He was in the doorway, yawning as he smoothed his Snooki-bump hairdo, giving them dubious looks, but he wasn't alone. Gimli, Bofur, Bifur, and Gloin were with him, talking in harsh whispers about Naji's dishonor, something Rue thought was akin to Umbridge's daily cat-obsessed rituals. Briefly, she wondered where the rest of the Dwarves were. Wait. Where the heck had Ori gone?

Thorin faced Dwalin, simply mouthing Dwalin's name, giving an urgent nod. Dwalin seemed to understand, turning to motion to the door.

"All right, laddies, show yourselves out," Dwalin said as he began to hustle a bickering Bofur, Gimli, and Gloin from the doorway.

Rue didn't want to come off rude, but honestly she didn't want all of the Dwarves to leave. She wanted Nori, Balin, Fili, Bilbo, and most importantly Thorin to stay with her and—

"P—please stay," Rue said, turning to grab onto Fili's sleeve as he made to leave. Kili was already out the bedroom, hesitating as he watched Fili with big eyes.

"I shall." Fili nodded.

"Why does he get to remain but I do not!?" Kili cried, stomping.

"Now is not the time," Nori said, smacking himself in the forehead, trying but failing to hide a smirk.

Gimli jumped up and down, saying, "Lass, I want to come in—"

The bickering continued, becoming worse and worse by the second, stressing Rue to the point she contemplated hiding under the bed. She attempted to comfort Gimli, only for Gloin to jab a finger at her and yell something about his son's well-being. Kili yelled about not being taken seriously because of his beard length, and worst of all, poor Bilbo slunk in the corner of the room, looking terrified to move a muscle like he was expecting to get his head verbally bitten off. Rue couldn't take it, rubbing at her eyes, thinking about tomorrow, and having to really marry Naji and—and—

"Shazara!" Thorin roared.

At once, the Dwarves shut the hell up, looking to Thorin in a mix of respect and annoyance. Rue had expected Big Bad King Under the Mountain to start giving them commands so when he watched Rue, waiting, urging her to speak with a gentle squeeze on her wrist, she was dumbfounded. Would they listen to anything she had to say?

A few seconds later, Thorin crossed his arms over his chest, growling, "Rue chooses who remains. That is all. Do not speak over her. Do not attempt to persuade her otherwise."

If Harry could destroy the horcruxes, Rue could do this one simple thing, couldn't she? But with all the Dwarves—plus Bilbo—watching her with big, vulnerable eyes…

"Please don't be mad or offended, but I want only…only Nori, Fili, Bilbo, Balin, and uh Thorin to stay and," Rue said, unable to finish telling them to leave.

They took the hint well-enough, and for once Gimli and Kili banter did not break out. The remaining Dwarves headed out the bedroom door, grumbling about what they would like to do to Naji. Dwalin shut the door behind him on his way out, yelling for Gimli not to even think about eavesdropping.

Rue and the others gathered in a circle, awkwardly looking to each other to see who would talk first. There was so much to discuss: the marriage, supplies, Erebor. It didn't take long for Balin to clear his throat, and start the conversation of all conversations.

"Miss Rue cannot marry Thorin," he said.

Rue expected Nori to rebut it first since he seemed to have a trick up his sleeve by the coy smile on his face, but Thorin answered first.

"You cannot decide that," Thorin said heatedly.

Balin said, "But Dwarven law—"

Thorin interrupted, pinkness dusting his cheeks in his outburst of emotion, "I do not care of Dwarven laws preventing a marriage! If Rue wishes to marry, we shall!"

"Yes, that is the law," Nori said. "But the race of Men do not know of such things."

"That's it!" Rue cried, finally getting what Nori had been saying all along. Usually, she was a herp derp but this had to have been one of her smartest ideas. Not really her idea since Nori had thought of it first, but still she would go along for the ride if it meant she didn't have to look at Naji's goat face for the rest of her life.

Bilbo did classic Bilbo, swishing his lips, pointing a finger. "That is a very bright idea indeed. We use deception…but…wait….what are the chances they know of Dwarf customs? You Dwarves are secretive, but it does not mean they have never had close interactions with other Dwarves before and there is a chance those Dwarves were not secretive. All Dwarves are not the same…"

Bilbo kept rambling, but Rue got mentally lost as she watched Thorin. He had uncrossed his arms, shaking his head, reddening as Balin whispered something in his ear.

"Uncle what of the plan?" Fili asked.

Rue jumped, heart violently pounding against her chest like a Hippogriff stomping. She really, really wished Fili hadn't asked that question. Things were already awkward enough, but now Rue would have to hear Thorin probably resent the idea of them being a fake marriage item. What if he met a She-Dwarf he liked liked? Then their "fake marriage" would ruin it, and…but Rue and Thorin were best friends. The thought of Thorin and a She-Dwarf made an ugly sensation swoop through her stomach. Literally, Rue felt jealous of an imaginary She-Dwarf. In the end, she didn't own Thorin and he didn't own her so her jealousy had no room to exist. Still, her petty jealousy became like an annoying housefly.

Thorin lowered his head, glancing at Rue before his blue gaze fell to the floor. He awkwardly fiddled with his hands, dropping loose fingers to his sides as he turned toward Fili.

"A fake marriage?" he hissed. "It is dishonorable, but…"

"The only option we have," Balin finished. "I shall draw up the marriage contract."

Marriage contract? Rue knew this marriage was fake, but would the contract read something like "you get this amount of gold in The Lonely Mountain" for the price of a Thorin? She shuddered, remembering the supplies. The whole point of her marrying Naji. They wouldn't get crap without her actually marrying Naji.

"What about the supplies?" Rue burst out, wildly glancing at her Dwarves and Mr. Hobbitkins. "We're going to starve, aren't we? And it'll be my fault and—" Rue had to stop before she went into full-on hysterics. Sucking in a deep breath, she tugged her shirt for comfort, watching as the floor seemed to get closer and closer. Was she going to pass out? Please don't judge.

But then Bilbo gave Rue a simple tug on her clothes, and mouthed something for her ears only. He nudged his pocket and it hit Rue like a ton of bricks what he was trying to convey. The One Ring. No shit Rue. With the ring on their side, they could steal the supplies. Stealing would make her feel about five steps away from being Walter White, but the alternative would be marrying the giant squid.

"Do not be shy, Master Baggins, please share," Nori said, narrowing a suspicious gaze on them. Bilbo jumped nearly off the floor, screwing on a determined expression when he thought better of it. He opened his mouth to say something, but Fili beat him to the punch.

"Is it not obvious? It is Bilbo's magic ring. The one that makes him unseen," Fili said.

"Aye," Thorin said, suddenly standing taller. "Bilbo shall accompany Nori and Fili to pilfer the supplies. And Balin—" Thorin didn't even have to finish his sentence as Balin nodded in understanding.

"I shall search for parchment and begin drawing the contract up," he said.

At last, Thorin watched Rue again, and her heart fluttered. She remembered last night how they had slept in Thorin's bed together, her cheeks becoming heated in the chilly morning. Hot damn. And what about the kiss they had shared—the words "RED RUM" went off in her head like an alarm. Not the place or the time to think about the kiss, or—

"Rue," Thorin said her name like a carefully guarded secret.

"Yes?" she squeaked.

"Please do not stray too far until we present the Master of Lake-town with the false contract. It is unsafe and—" Thorin became choked up on his words, swallowing a deep breath.

"All right," she said. "But what about the Black Arrow?"

It came out like word vomit really. Rue should've thought twice or came up with a Snape-worthy plan to speak about the Black Arrow. But who was she kidding? She would never be a Slytherin, and it was about time she should start embracing Hufflepuff pride. Who in the world was this new and confident Rue?

"Black Arrow?" Balin asked. "How do you know of such things?"

Tension seeped into the air. Fili, Nori, Bilbo, and Balin traded fishy glances at her while the color drained from Thorin's face. Only he and Rue knew about the book. About the Black Arrow. And Rue being Rue had just blurted this info out.

Out of nowhere, there was a thunderous crash on the outside of the door. The tension was suddenly broken as Dwalin's bellowing filled the air.

"Gimli son of Gloin! Kili son of Dis! Do not eavesdrop. Have you no decency?"

"But—but—"

"Your uncle will know of this," Dwalin warned.

"I do not fear uncle!" Kili shouted.

Gimli laughed boisterously, which was followed up by Gloin's shouts. Oh boy. Any other time, Rue would've felt incredibly awkward after having listened to Dwarf family squabbles, but it gave her a chance to use her head for more than just Harry Potter theories.

"So it's a funny story," Rue lied through her teeth. "Naji told me Bard has one so I was thinking we could you know…add the Black Arrow to the pilfer list. I do not want to…"

"My unlawful expertise shall come in handy," Nori said, winking.

Fili tossed his head back, laughing as Nori purposely winked more at him, which only added to the laughing. Rue even joined in, chuckling nervously as she rubbed her arms, unable to unsee Thorin's worried glances and the skepticism pouring off of Balin's every movement. One thing was certain. Balin did not believe a word she had said.

After the meeting of the minds had ended, Thorin had sent out Ori and Bofur to spy on Bard the Bowman's habits and routine. Fili, Nori, and Bilbo had also been sent out into Lake-town to steal a small amount of the supplies, something Rue didn't think about until Thorin explained if they stole a lesser amount over the course of two days, then it wouldn't be so obvious supplies had gone missing.

Rue was currently downstairs in a chair in the small foyer, being totally useless. Really, she wished she could've gone and helped the Dwarves out in some way. But she did have a target on her back. If Naji saw her out and about, he would most likely follow her and taunt the Dwarves. Sitting here led her to imagining the consequences of what would happen to them if Naji called bullshit on the fake marriage contract. Would Thorin be beaten again? She couldn't help but think of Game of Thrones out of all things, recalling how many people died for the silliest reasons.

There was a soft creak on the floor. Rue turned to peek over her shoulder to discover Thorin had come from the kitchen area, a rolled up parchment in his hand. Guilty didn't even begin to cover the expression on his face as he shifted his weight from foot to the other. Rue wished Gimli and Kili had been in the foyer, but of course they were upstairs being lectured by Gloin and Dwalin on the merits of eavesdropping and respecting Big Bad King Under the Mountain. Bombur had just finished cooking, and Bifur had been the food tester. Oin was still sleeping, and Dori had been fussing in the kitchen about how scared he felt for Ori participating in their schemes. Rue loved talking to Thorin, but she knew this conversation was about to be weird. As weird as seeing Thranduil naked.

"Before you sign this we need to speak," Thorin said, handing the contract over to Rue. When she went to grab it, she couldn't help but notice the shakiness vibrating through the parchment. Thorin was…nervous.

She unrolled the parchment across her lap, becoming lost in the loopy cursive and loads of white lies of details like "the length of time they had courted" and "Gandalf's blessing for the marriage who was Rue's surrogate father." The best detail had to have been "how many gifts Thorin had given her."

"I'm ready when you are," Rue whispered.

And just like, Thorin dropped down to his knees. Literally sitting in front of Rue, staring at her. He swallowed hard several times like he was having trouble processing their situation.

"It is not my wish to ruin your existence with a binding marriage contract, even if—" He paused, reaching a hand out for Rue's, pulling away last second— "I know it is false, but if you were to desire another man one day or wanted to leave, we would have to admit what we have done and it is dishonorable. I do not want you to have a ruined reputation, for it will bring many tribulations. Rue, if you wish for me to dispose of this contract, I shall and we will leave before sunrise. I cannot ruin—" He broke off, breaths ragged, completely overwhelmed by the looks of it.

Honestly, Rue could relate to Thorin in the overwhelmed department. She didn't want to wreck his life either, and the fact he had considered what she wanted after Erebor. Hell, nobody had ever given a crap what Rue wanted unless you counted Nat. The thought had her heart racing, palms dripping in sweat.

"I'm scared," she blurted, covering her mouth right after.

Thorin nodded, running a hand through his majestic hair. "We do not have to—"

"I'm scared of Smaug I mean. And also Naji, but not of this—" She pointed between them— "Never of us. I trust you, and I—I've never trusted anyone as much."

Rue reached forward, looking down to a quill wedged between Thorin's fingers. Carefully, she grabbed it from him. Thorin's mouth fell open in a silent O. Shutting out Smaug, Naji, and the Battle of Five Armies yet to come, Rue quickly tilted the quill to the side at an awkward angle, scribbling her initials at the very bottom where Balin had written "Signature." After, she handed the parchment back to Thorin, feeling a surge of bravery swell inside her heart. Rue remembered how Thorin had been fearful of touching her a minute ago, like he had thought she'd be offended or something.

To prove him wrong in the best of ways, Rue grabbed Thorin's free hand. She interlaced their fingers, amazed by the deep relieving sigh Thorin let out after.

"So Gandalf's apparently my chosen dad now?" Rue teased.

Thorin smiled, softly chuckling.

Then suddenly he dove his head down, bringing his lips to her hand and—

His beard tickled the top of her hand as he placed a gentle kiss on the sensitive skin. Rue trembled, miserably failing to convince herself that her feelings wouldn't be hurt by their sham of a marriage.

They had waited until Ori, Bofur, Bilbo, Fili, and Nori had returned from romping around Lake-town like James Bond. In Rue's opinion, using the One Ring had been more than worth it after Bilbo had turned up with extra food, weapons, and blankets.

At dusk, Rue, Thorin, and the rest of the company had set out to one of the scariest places of all, second to Mirkwood, which would probably become child's play once she finally met Smaug. The front steps outside the Master of Lake-town's house. Really, Rue tried not to angst over her horrid memories of boredom staying in that hideous house. Tried to block all the nasty things Naji had told her when she'd been "engaged" to him.

"Try once more," Balin said.

With a huff, Thorin thundered up the steps, knocking on the door for the fourth time.

Timidly, Rue peeked over her shoulder to see a crowd had begun to gather. People whispered to themselves about the audacity of Dwarves. Others parted ways as Lake-town soldiers trudged across the wooden boards, going up the stairs—

Dwalin, Fili, Kili, Gimli, and Gloin bounded for the stairs, protectively getting in front of Thorin, shouting for the soldiers to step back.

"My uncle has every right to speak to the Master of Lake-town!" Kili roared.

Rue couldn't take it anymore. She darted away from the rest of the company, putting Bilbo's desperate cries of her name to the back of her mind.

The Lake-town soldiers jabbed their spears toward her Dwarves, prodding, threatening. Rue shoved her way in front of them, luckily not close enough to be stabbed. Her actions did the trick, forcing the Lake-town soldiers to lower their spears.

"Please don't! We only want to talk to him!" she cried.

"Rue!" Thorin called, pushing his way down the stairs toward her.

Gasps rang out from the crowd of people. For several moments, Rue thought they were awed by her actions. A swell of pride filled her chest. For once, she was being admired. So this was what Thorin must've felt like when Balin told the company about his battle against Azog? All her hopes were crushed though when she heard footsteps on the porch, and the front door closing with a bang. The Master of Lake-town, Naji, and Alfrid stood in front of the door, steam coming out of their ears.

"What of this nonsense!" the Master of Lake-town bellowed.

"Can you not see, dear Uncle? My beloved cannot wait for tomorrow to get married. She wishes to marry now," Naji said, the definition of a piece of turd. Alfrid patted the turd on the shoulder like he had gotten off a good one.

Thorin balled up his fists, their fake marriage contract crumpling in his rage.

"Do not speak of her in such a foul way!" he shouted.

"Who are you to tell me such things, you wretched Dwarf?" Naji hissed.

An uproar of protest broke out from Bilbo and the company. They waved fists, shouting the Middle-earth version of obscenities at Naji, defending Thorin's honor with everything they had. It would've been beautiful if not for the context. Most funny of all, Bilbo waved a finger in warning, threatening laws of the realm Naji's dumbass probably didn't even know existed here.

"You must listen!" Rue screamed. Her shriek seemed to have some kind of affect as the Master of Lake-town rubbed his chin, smirking.

"Men of Lake-town who are of service to me, please refrain until I give such a command," the Master of Lake-town said, motioning the soldiers backwards. They listened, going down the steps but remaining close enough to interfere if another argument broke out. Out of the corner of Rue's vision, she noticed Bard the Bowman make his way through the crowd of people, stopping by Bilbo's side.

"What is it you seek?" the Master of Lake-town asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rue looked to Thorin, who had already unrolled the fake marriage contract. He waited for Rue's reaction, hesitating, giving her one last chance to say never mind. She felt her cheeks glow, nodding for him to go ahead and do it.

"We no longer wish to mislead you," Thorin said, occasionally looking past the Master of Lake-town to glare daggers at Naji. "But Rue and I…we have married."

Several reactions distracted Rue from the immense fear making her legs shake. For one, the majority of the company who hadn't been in the room when they had planned everything, seemed to take the announcement at face value. That included Gimli, Kili, Dwalin, Bofur, Bifur, Bombur, Oin, Gloin, Ori, and Dori. Their mouths were hung open from the shock of it, looking torn between fainting and saying congratulations. On the other hand, some of the humans clapped for Rue and Thorin's fake marriage while others moaned in disgust, murmuring rude things about the vulgarity of a human marrying a Dwarf. The temptation to give them the middle finger was strong, but Rue knew better than to waste her middle finger on them. Nope, that honor would go to Naji, who had become bleach white.

"IT IS A LIE!" Naji choked out, his upper lip curling in a snarl.

"If you do not believe us, read our marriage contract," Thorin said, handing it over to the Master of Lake-town. Immediately, he shoved the contract at Alfrid first, demanding he read it and relay the information. After the Master of Lake-town refused to believe it, Alfrid read the contract word for word to him, motioning at Thorin and Rue in disbelief.

"Gandalf the Grey is coming to meet us in Erebor! He knows vast amounts of magic and many ways to slew of enemies. I am warning you. You do not wish to make enemies of Gandalf the Grey's allies and surrogate daughter," Bilbo said, puffing out his chest as he stood taller. Mr. Hobbitkins really was on a roll today.

"This cannot be true," Naji said, motioning to the marriage contract. "No, we mustn't be deceived."

Suddenly, Thorin slid an arm around Rue's shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She allowed herself to snuggle closer into Thorin's space, understanding he was afraid something might happen to her or of another whipping post incident.

"Dwarf customs are much different than the race of Men," Thorin explained. "Our marriages are abided by contracts."

"Lies!" Naji shouted, a string of spit coming out his mouth as he yelled more. "You speak of filth! We will not—ever oblige to the words of a hideous Dwarf and his lowly kin!"

Naji made to lunge forward.

Thorin stood in front of Rue now, unflinching at Naji. The asshole stepped backwards, intimidated. Naji turned to kick at the door, reminding Rue of the old Kool-Aid commercial with the Kool-Aid Man smashing through walls.

"I can call upon my cousin Dain of the Iron Hills if you wish it. He will gladly inform you of our marriage customs. He does not travel alone," Thorin growled, sticking his chest out. "His army is massive, three times the size of the army of Lake-town."

A visible wince shuddered through the crowd of Lake-town's onlookers. Even the Master of Lake-town himself did a double take, stumbling backwards as he pulled on Naji's sleeve.

"It is not true, is it?" he asked Naji.

The air became tense. Rue had the feeling when Naji said yes, that the people would revolt and send his ass into the lake.

"Answer your uncle," Alfrid said.

"It is true. They are from the line of Durin," Naji admitted, covering his mouth in horror afterwards.

"Then it is settled," Thorin said, roughly snatching the marriage contract away from the Master of Lake-town's grubby fingers. Rue expected for Naji to tackle her down like she was prey, but he was bombarded by his uncle's cries and Alfrid's accusations of endangering their well-being.

Together, Thorin and Rue turned, heading down the stairs. A stir of protest in the crowd quickly grew like fire catching on kindling, their wrath spreading. Soon enough, the humans piled up the stairs, shouting a string of insults at the Master of Lake-town, demanding for their immediate removal.

"First it is Smaug we are endangered by, and now the Dwarves of the Iron Hills threaten us! What is next?!" someone waved a fist at the Master of Lake-town.

When Rue and Thorin rejoined Bilbo and the company, Nori and Balin gave them congratulatory pats on the back.

"Well done, laddie," Balin said, nudging Thorin affectionately.

"Congratulations!" Dwalin cried, thumping Thorin on the back. "It is no wonder why you had such liveliness in your step."

Rue totally missed it when Thorin's cheeks became magenta. If she told herself she did, then it would be true, wouldn't it?

"Does this mean I refer to Rue as my aunt?" Kili asked innocently.

Rue looked to Thorin. She felt awkward proclaiming herself as Aunt Rue, since this was the biggest hoax she'd even been involved in, but Thorin had another opinion.

"Indeed. Rue shall also be known as Queen Under the Mountain once Erebor has been reclaimed," Thorin spoke quietly. A warm feeling spread through Rue's chest. Woah. Was this what real happiness felt like? Part of Rue would remain guilty over the lies, but at the same time, she was relieved and under some love spell. Love goggles really made a fake marriage sound like a fantastic idea.

They were interrupted as Bard the Bowman came up to them, very reproachful.

"May I have a word with you?" he asked Thorin.

Thorin stared up at Bard the Bowman, waiting for him to continue.

"My intent is not to disrespect, but Thorin son of Thrain, you risk destroying Lake-town. Bringing death upon my people, death to your beloved and kin. Do not awaken that dragon. No amount of gold is worth the vile things Smaug will bring upon our land," Bard said.

Rue kind of wanted to come out and tell him if he willingly handed his Black Arrow over, they could get the job done. Her knowing things like that would bring accusations though. Balin was already onto her. She could always lie and say she was a witch, right? Middle-earth didn't seem to discriminate against Gandalf, so maybe—

"That will not happen," Thorin said.

"How do you know it will not?" Bard challenged.

"Because we have a Black Arrow," Thorin blurted.

The sound of the Master of Lake-town, Naji, and Alfrid making a run back in their house and the chasing mob gunning for them became nothing but disturbing background noise. Other than that, Rue could hear the sharp intake of breath from Bard. The Dwarves in the company not in the know-how also shared the identical shock, trading gasps and whispers.

"There were only a few ever made," Bard said, mouth opening and closing.

"I know of this. It was quite the challenge to find one," Thorin said.

Bard the Bowman and Thorin looked each other up and down, as if daring the other to make massive accusations first. Thankfully, a long moment of silence passed. In some cases, silence was better than yelling.

"So uh…it's time to celebrate, don't you think?" Rue spoke up.

Thorin stepped away from Bard, his blue eyes finding Rue's. He gave her a gentle smile, obviously getting caught up in their fake marriage when he ran a tender hand down the back of her head.

"Anything you wish my beloved," Thorin said. Woah, he was really laying it on thick.

They walked away from Bard the Bowman without another word, heading back toward the house the Dwarves had been staying in. Rue heard Bilbo tell Bard goodbye, reassuring him Smaug was nothing to worry about. She peeked over her shoulder for good measure, not all the way certain the Master of Lake-town would just let them walk away without a fight. Luckily, they were long gone from the porch now, back inside their house with the people of Lake-town minutes from lighting torches and grabbing pitchforks to surround them.

Had they actually won? After all these setbacks, had they really won by using strategy? It felt too good to be true, but for now Rue rolled with it.

By the time they returned to the house, the majority of Dwarves had been taking turns asking Thorin several questions about the Black Arrow. An awful sensation battered Rue's stomach when Balin took Thorin aside, demanding to know why he would lie to Bard about having a Black Arrow. With a defeated sigh, Thorin had explained to Balin they would have the Black Arrow soon enough. This only seemed to raise the suspicious glances, and whispers every time Rue walked into a room.

The guilt became too much, which led to her going to bed earlier than usual. In a perfect world, Rue would've loved to have been honest about the existence of The Hobbit book. Too many risks came with the admission. Rue might as well have stamped "dumbass" on her forehead. If more of them knew, they could change things. Maybe drastically? No way would Fili risk Kili dying if he knew…Rue didn't even feel comfortable risking it. One wrong move could lead to Smaug surviving or Bilbo dying and losing the One Ring. And that was the One Ring to end them all, however the saying went. They could change the history of Middle-earth with one wrong move. Talk about pressure.

She tossed and turned in Thorin's bed, bunching the covers around her legs, trying but failing miserably to convince herself everything would be okay. More than anything, she wished Thorin had been in bed with her. Thorin being Thorin had volunteered to sleep in another room, claiming he hadn't wanted to dishonor her. What about last night? Had it meant nothing to Thorin? The anxiety of it all led to Rue sitting up, rubbing at her crusty eyes.

When she had enough moping around, she squeezed her eyes shut, lying back down, rolling away from the moonlight spilling in through the window.

SCRIT-SCRAT

What the hell?

Rue sat back up, head bolting left and right in a frenzy, searching for the weird noise. Nothing was there. The room was empty, shadows clinging to the corners of the bedroom but nothing else. Had that sound been outside the door?

SCRITTTT

This time she saw the doorknob twisting. Rue jumped out of bed, scolding herself for being so damn terrified. Get it together, Rue-Rue from the hood. A whole tribe of Dwarves was staying under one roof. That sound was probably Fili or Gimli.

The door creaked open.

Rue waited, breaths coming out thinner. Would it be stupid if she asked who was there like in every Friday the 13thmovie ever?

"Gimli?" she called.

No answer.

"Thorin?"

Still no answer.

"Kili this isn't funny," Rue said, voice cracking.

A silhouette too tall to be any Dwarf crept in. The person had on a blue cloak, brandishing a spill of fire on the end of a torch.

There was no time to think, let alone react.

The person tossed the torch at Rue, setting her on fire.

Author's Note: If you made it to the end of the chapter, thank you so much! Please let me know what you think and drop a review. I have about 10 chapters outlined. Hopefully I can get them written out and posted. Warning, things will gradually become more darker as the story goes on. I'll be putting up trigger warnings in future chapters for those specific passages. Also, I'll be making some changes to the canon. Follow me on Tumblr for any updates on Heroes: Thank you so much for the years of support 😊