Summary: Dwalin finally manages to get Bilbo to train again...

When the brothers and I finally left the room, it was with an air of joviality that became the brothers far better than the mood of discontent that so recently was more commonplace. Truth be told as well, I mused as Kili twirled me with all the skill of a dancer when we left the room, it was an atmosphere that had been sorely missed.

Kili bounced with a skip in his step and Fili followed on behind us all the way to the guest dining hall where we saw Gandalf already seated at the far end of the high table, eagerly tearing large chunks from a loaf of bread and scooping them into his carrot soup. When the three of us came into the hall, I immediately noticed that his robes were dirtied with dried mud and that he looked as if he had traveled quite some distance.

All around him though he appeared to suffer the presence of the dwarves. He would not answer any of their curious questions of where he had been. Off to the side, Thorin and Balin waited and when the brothers and I went to their side, Thorin eyed me calmly before he sighed, "He won't tell us anything until he's had his fill."

His voice played along the skin of my waist gently but I could tell that he was a little annoyed by how coy Gandalf played. I too was curious to know where the wizard had been away to just from the appearance of his robes and how ravenously he dug into his meal.

Even though I wanted to wait with the others for Gandalf to finish his meal and offer us his explanations, Dwalin spotted me in the hall and barreled his way towards me. His form was hulking and menacing and before I could say a word to him, he had hold of my arm and was shoving me out the doorway.

Thorin and the others knew what he had planned already so despite my yelps of surprise and shock, none of them so much as lifted a brow at my hasty departure.

"Outside. Training. Now."

I ended up being dragged to the front of Beorn's house where the ground was flatter, nearly tripping over my feet when Dwalin finally let me go. When a stick was thrust into my hand, I almost laughed at how determined he was to make me train but a moment later, I felt the breath rush from my lungs and the pain in my back from when I was knocked down to the ground.

I blinked in surprise. In pain. I was on my back?

I stared up at the sky, coughing when I realized that my chest hurt and that Dwalin had actually already attacked me and sent me to my feet! I wasn't even aware that we had started!

"Up, laddie. I'm a much different teacher than Thorin."

If that was the explanation of what happened, then that was something of a understatement.

As I turned over and got back up on my feet, it was my first instinct to want to yell or scold the older dwarf but I saw that Dwalin was already standing there with a stick in hand and looking as if he were in a foul mood. I knew from the previous sensation of his voice on my cheek that he wasn't but it still made me think twice about mouthing off.

I shrugged off the visages of discomfort from when I landed harshly on my back and remembered the position that Thorin taught me from days previous. I bent my knees and held out my stick, arm bent at the ready while my other arm stayed behind me and out of trouble.

"Adjust the elbow, it's too far out." Dwalin barked out, his voice like a thumb pushing against the skin of my cheek. I adjusted my elbow as instructed and waited for him. A moment later, he was striking out with his stick and I was dashing back just as I had been taught. The last time I trained with Dwalin and Thorin, I had been allowed to "run away" as often as I needed in order to get the hang of it or feel safe enough to attack but as Dwalin saw fit to remind me, we weren't training with Thorin. I wasn't allowed to step back more than two times before Dwalin lashed out with his stick, so fast and powerful that I was caught off balance by it and knocked down.

Each time I was knocked down, Dwalin shot me a grin and waited until I stood again before beginning again. Much in this fashion the two of us went back and forth, him quick as a snake and I attempting to remember not to take more than two steps back unless I wanted to be knocked down again. Whenever he went on the offensive though, I would forget about the no two step rule and wind up again on either my butt or my back.

When I picked myself up from the ground again for the fifth time in a row, I huffed loudly, irritated by the fact that my clothing was covered in dirt and that my hair clung to my face uncomfortably with dirt and sweat, "Any advice for me?"

I questioned as I returned to my position and went on the offensive, determined not to be knocked down again; I lashed out as quickly as I could and was ready when Dwalin parried the attack, using his successful block to try and go on the offensive though he was unable to do so considering that I dodged away from it and once again went on the attack.

"Attack more cleanly." Dwalin rumbled out as he parried my attack, shot back out with his stick and tried to catch me off guard. I was forced to step back, barely knocking the stick away from me when he went for me, "Waste less energy... and-"

He continued to strike at me as I backed away again, again, and again, "And?"

I realized it a moment too late how many steps I had taken in my efforts to get away from him, "Get off your back, laddie."

I blinked in surprise and a second later found myself down on the ground again, the air once more pushed from my lungs as soon as I slammed into the dirt.

"Up, we'll go again."

I swung back to my feet this time a little frustrated by how often I seemed to be taking a dirt bath. "Can't I take more than two steps back?"

"No, Thorin's happy enough to let you wander the length of a forest before ye make the offensive but I'm not." His voice tickled along my cheek teasingly and finally tired of how my vest clung to my form awkwardly from the sweat and dirt, I unbuttoned it and tossed it aside. I opened two of my buttons of my skirt so that I could feel the breeze along my moist skin and I squat down again to show that I was ready.

"Can't you at least call out the numbers until I've gotten used to it again?"

Dwalin grinned at the suggestion and nodded before he went into his own stance, motioning that he wanted me to strike at him first. I did so eagerly, wanting to shove that smug grin off his face and he parried my attacks easily until he finally went to attack me.

"Three!"

He barked out, nearly a clap to my face but just as I went to parry my three position, I realized a second later that he was actually at my six and that I was flat on my back... again!

"You lied to me!" I fussed as I kicked up and stood my ground, "Why would you lie?!"

I was frustrated by his training methods, wanting Thorin here to regulate this nonsense and keep me from becoming so whiny that I would stamp my feet around like a child. Dwalin seemed to take amusement in my frustration, staring me down and grinning his white teeth at me as if he were about to laugh, "Why wouldn't I lie, laddie?"

He did laugh then, his large fingers coming up to knock me back with a playful push on the forehead. "You could actually be of some help to me?"

I suggested this time backing away from him so that he couldn't touch me; I moved around him, my steps careful because I wasn't sure if he would strike out at me with his stick or stay still. I didn't know so I kept on the move, circling when I noticed that he was following me eye for eye, step for step. He kept me in his vision just as I did him.

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"Because it would make the lesson easier, for one."

"Ah, but that isn't the way I do it. Ask the wee lads how many times they were sky gazing while they trained with me."

"But I'm no 'wee lad'." I mimicked and noticed that my tone was only just shy of mocking and that was when Dwalin noticed that I wasn't exactly being the most friendly of students. His attitude changed from playful to authoritative in half a second, reaching out to grasp me by the shirt so that he could maybe yell a lesson into me. Unfortunately for him, we hobbits were quicker than we looked and I managed to avoid his fingers though they had come close enough so that had felt them brush the fabric of my shirt.

I held my stick out again, ready to face him and quicker than I could parry, he swung his own at me and knocked it clear out of my hand; for added insult, his other hand snapped out and he roughly pushed my shoulder, adding force for when I would land in the dirt.

The force of it slammed me down, once more making me cough the air from my lungs before I saw the shadow of the bulky dwarf hovering over me.

"I know you're no lad, laddie , but even our lasses have training in this." He offered me his hand so that he could help me up and gratefully I took it. How easily he swooped me up reminded me just how much strength he held but a quick glance down revealed that when caught unaware, he had a tendency to rest on the soles of his feet. He took a step back as he settled me back onto my own two feet and passed me my stick again.

"You'd do well to keep in mind that no matter the class, all dwarves are taught to fight when they are wee dwarflings. Even the crafters go through the basics. Lad, lass, and dwarfling each."

Dwalin fixed his eyes on me, "Remember that next time you want me to go easy on ya. Fili, Kili, and even Thorin have each wound up on their backs when facing me. I won't go soft on you just because you're a lass and certainly not because you're favored by them."

Though I had always known that Dwalin's words were blunt and not meant to harm in any way, the last part of his sentence bothered me in a way that I hadn't expected. Not since the Misty Mountains did I think of being an accessory to the line of Durin and by product, my worth dependent on whether or not they liked me. What Dwalin said reminded me of that time and I wasn't keen on that since it felt so far from the truth.

"I saved Thorin's life with my paltry skill." I reminded him because I was hurt and I wouldn't so easily forget it and let it go without nipping at his heels.

"Aye, but I'll not kiss your toes for it." Dwalin's grin was more pronounced than ever, his eyes delighted by the fight that I was giving him. Even his voice that tickled along my cheek could not hide how much he was amused by my lack of control over my own emotions. It seemed amusing to me even when I thought about it and how months ago I would have stayed silent or even tried to fuss my way through my discomfort with manners.

How changed I was compared to the proper hobbit creature that I used to be. Where once I would have tried to talk my way out of this, I felt the keen urge to slap him across his cheek exactly where his own voice touched me. I would slap him for the slight and be done with it!

He read all of it on my face and his eyes quickened with glee at the sight of my anger.

"Even if Thorin marries you and makes you Queen, I won't kiss your toes and go easy on you, wee laddie. You'll have to do it as all the others have."

"Fine," I pointed the stick at him, "But, if you end up on your back, you'll have to kiss my toes."

Dwalin's great guffawing laughter turned up into the sky and it nearly startled me such was the intensity of it, "And risk a clawing by Fili? I'll pass on that. If it's a wager you want-" Just as he stood to offer me whatever he was, I interjected, "You afraid of Fili? I never would have guessed!"

I chuckled at how his face turned up and he eyed me, torn between pushing me back down to eat dirt and amusement.

"That's the wager. You land on your back and you have to kiss my feet."

"Aye, alright, and when you lose?"

Eager to begin the duel, I rolled up my sleeves until they were tight around my elbows and got into proper stance, waiting and ready as Dwalin did the same.

"I'll kiss your toes, dirt and all. At least I'll wash mine before you do it for me."

Dwalin laughed loudly again at the idea of him bending down to kiss my feet, his voice a happy tickle again on my cheek. I ignored it until the sensation disappeared when his voice sighed off; we both were at the ready, our sticks up and waiting for the other to attack since now that we had our wager, neither one of us wanted it to end so soon. Ending it so soon meant little fun in general for Dwalin and a quick foot kissing for me.

In my own mind, no matter the outcome of this, I would have Dwalin on his back even if I had to fight dirty to do so. I was already tested as a dirty fighter from our battle that night with Azog and again when Dwalin, Fili and I all sparred.

Where I was sure that being known as a dirty fighter must have been some slight with a dwarf, I felt indifferent to it. I had to be since I was known for it among my cousins. Fighting between your cousins when you were younger had a feeling of survival to it whereas this, this was just play.

I waited for my moment, my stick feeling as if it were my sword that stung so sharply into the breast of the orc. I needed it to be like an extension of me as it were to Thorin when he wielded the actual weapon. It didn't matter that he hadn't ever so much as touched it before for Thorin to make it seem as if it were his own. I would need to do the same if only for a short while.

Enough for Dwalin to find himself on his back too.

Instincts were what defended against Dwalin's first attack, him taking advantage of the faraway look in my eyes that he most likely saw. I wasn't even really aware that I did it before I realized that I knocked his stick off balance and stepped forward so that I could get in my own attack, which he evaded when he took a giant step back. With Dwalin it was always a double sided sword to attack or defend with him; if one were to defend, it opened them up for his powerful strikes that could shove one off balance but if one tried to attack, he could evade so easily with his large gait in any direction.

He took larger steps than Thorin but by no means was it like Fili's, which could be used against him. He had grown used to his larger steps and it was his advantage.

I had no choice but to evade the next attack but I remembered how many steps I counted in my attempt to evade his stick and knew that he would attempt to throw me to the ground. I blocked the attempt, letting him come at me and push me back though his face turned into one of surprise when he noticed that I didn't fall. My toes dug into the dirt, kicking up dust but I guarded against the push by swallowing it whole, my shoulder aching from how strong Dwalin was.

When I went to strike out, he went easily from my range with a grin on his face, "Ah, so you are learning, laddie."

I didn't comment on the jest and went back into stance this time taking the offensive and attacking, clumsy as ever but at least not enough that Dwalin had to growl out corrections for me. It seemed that after eating so much dirt and dust, the aches in my body knew where to keep my limbs so that they didn't hurt as much.

Again we danced back and forth, neither of us getting any ground on the other but I knew that had more to do with Dwalin controlling the fight rather than I. He was the tried and tested warrior and if he wanted me down, he only had to do so. This was still training though and he wanted me to learn from it and grow confident with what I could; his speed was probably half as good as it could have been, his hits half as strong, his moves only as effective as he wanted them to be. He wanted the fight to go on as long as it could all the while making sure that I was tested.

All in all, his method was very different from Thorin's because where the King-In-Exile wanted to teach and nurture his student with skills that they felt confident with in practice, Dwalin was a much more practical approach. Thorin taught in concept and in practical application whereas Dwalin taught completely in one. I would learn how to defend myself by defending myself.

Thorin could teach me how to see it and Dwalin would teach me how to live it.

Nevertheless, for all my revelations, it didn't change that Dwalin was much more skilled than I and matched to me only because he wished to be. When he saw that I moved faster, my stick sharper than before, he upped his own skill and matched it. As he saw that my footwork got more precise and I easily moved back and forth with barely a thought, he saw fit to move us around all the more.

Dwalin was such an excellent and fun teacher that I barely realized what he was doing until it was upon me, the utter sense of exhaustion. It took a well timed parry of his to deflect my attack at the last moment and I – in my haste to scurry away- noticed that my legs felt more tired than they had earlier when we first started.

I was exhausted.

He noticed immediately my sloppy footwork, his eyes fixing onto my feet before he gave a snort that poked lightly at my cheek, "Tired, laddie?"

I was but I wouldn't say anything of that. "No, just making sure you're watching."

He chuckled at that and went to strike at me, I barely deflecting it before he was twisting around his stick and catching me on my other side; I couldn't parry it since I was hardly expecting him to change styles but in my haste to get away, I fumbled my footwork and skidded down onto my thigh, the cloth from my skirt straining without ripping.

Even as I saw Dwalin turn to try and finish me off, I remembered my promise to have him on his back and I let my hobbit instincts take over, demanding just as they had when I faced my cousins that one could never go down without taking them with me. My hands snapped out to grab onto Dwalin's belt before he could turn around and with a great yank, the bulky form of the older dwarf was being hauled over just because he never learned to stay off the soles of his feet.

From the angle of his fall and the angle that I was at when I tugged him back, I couldn't avoid the heavy weight of his body as he fell back and landed on my arm. He landed with his back in the dirt and crushing my arm just as we both heard the sound of a soft clapping off to the side of our training grounds.

Both of us looked over just in time to see Thorin come over, an amused look on his face though there was still something to be said of the fact that he rolled his eyes upon the sight of us.

"Now that is an unusual sight." His voice was a wonderful curl of pleasure against my legs, sensation lapping at the skin there before it disappeared. Thorin offered a hand as Dwalin rolled off to the side so that I could get up and I gratefully accepted since I was sore and sure to bruise by morning.

"I've been watching you both since you went off; can't say I wasn't amused," Thorin's eyes spoke of his amusement and he smiled at Dwalin as the dwarf cracked his back, "Can't say it wasn't a pleasure to see her send you on your back, friend. My own hurts just thinking about all the times you upended me on the stones of Erebor."

Before Dwalin or I could make certain of why Thorin interrupted us, he motioned back over to the house, "Best to get some food before the others eat all of it," As Dwalin passed us, he turned to me, "You should wash up afterwards too."

He sounded amused as he took in my shabby state, my clothes dusted with dirt and my hair a mess of tangles and sweat that still clung to my skin. At the same time, Dwalin looked to be in no better condition considering all that he wore and the three of us took off towards the house for some much needed nourishment. On our way back though, I made sure that Dwalin caught my smirk, a reminder that while I owed him a kiss to his feet, he owed me as well.

Inside the hall, the others were eating just as Thorin said they were and I ravenous from the harsh training eagerly climbed my way onto the nearby bench and dug in to whatever dish was nearest. Carrot soup, apple crisps, and various kinds of lettuces and vegetables all went down my throat as easily as the next, my hunger so great that I felt so unlike a hobbit and more like a dwarf who could just wolf down food without hardly a care.

I noticed that as I dug into my food that Gandalf directed a smile at me, his eyes glinting in amusement before turning to his own food.

As I ate, I listened to the tale that Gandalf told the others of how he went in search of Beorn, finding nothing of the man or bear himself but making due with the many available tracks from him and his kind. There were many tracks apparently, all in the various sizes from very large to very small, and he followed them all the way back to the Carrock where they disappeared further up where we crossed the Ford.

He assumed from there that they must have ventured further into the mountains but as he couldn't be sure, he came back here with a lazy sort of haste.

As he told his story, I found my own thoughts remembering my night when I came to the dining hall and spoke with Beorn through the doorway. There were other bears outside, he warned and he did mention that they were leaving, though not the destination that he had in mind. He mentioned that he would be back tomorrow but other than that, there was nothing to offer to the company that was useful.

I thought too of the whispers that woke me that night and how Beorn called them an ill omen, grateful that since the night, I hadn't heard anything.

After dinner and talking with the others and watching Gandalf blow smoke rings until even I was bored of the sight, I popped out and grabbed the washing basin from the room that I shared with Thorin. I brought along a washing cloth and a drying sheet for afterwards and went out to the well that I saw the animals at when I first arrived at Beorn's.

I was more filthy and smelly than I ever remembered being in my life and I was glad to wash the grime off my body despite the fact that the water that I pulled from the well was freezing cold. Mud came from my hair such was how full of dust and dirt it was and I was surprised to find that after scrubbing the grime off that I had actually tanned a bit. I washed all my parts until I felt clean again, bending over to wash my clothes as best I could and squeezed all the water from them before setting them aside on a rack.

I missed the hot bath I had back in Bag End and I missed my washing tubs for when I would need to clean my clothing. The comforts of home were so wanted that I ended up ridding myself of the feeling by dumping basin after basin of cold water down my back until I felt as if I would die from the iciness in my bones.

When I was finished and just sitting there in a wet heap of a hobbit, I was exhausted and my body ached something terribly.

I smiled because it felt nice. It felt like adventure.

When I was finished with my bath and ready to head back inside, I got up and wrapped myself in a drying sheet, happy to be covered and warm again in the cooling air of the night. So that I wouldn't need to worry about the dwarves seeing me in just a drying sheet, I held onto my clothes as best I could while I slipped on the magic ring and toed back into the dining hall. I didn't need to look at them to know that they were partying and drinking more of Beorn's ale but I wasn't much in the mood to join them even if I did have a pair of clothes to change into.

Silently I crept back into the room I shared with Thorin, pulling off the ring and setting it back into the pocket of my wet vest; languidly, I set all my clothes up to dry in the room, hung over the backs of chairs and their armrests, wishing that I could at least sleep in my chemise shift since I liked to feel the fabric against my skin as I slept.

The bed called to me, my eyes feeling heavy as I went over to the large bed and fell into it. The furs felt amazing against my skin and I smiled as the desire for sleep washed over me so strongly that I didn't dare try to deny it. I wriggled around in bed just happy to feel how comfortable I was and burrowed under the blankets and furs until I realized that I was seconds away from sleep.

I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of the door opening, a faint light visible even though I saw that all the candles in the room had long burnt out. I knew who it was and snuggled back down into the furs as Thorin came into the room, setting his candle down on the side table before he undressed and folded everything on a nearby chair. A moment later the candle was blown out with a puff of air and the blankets were being lifted so that he could slip in beside me. As he curled up around my back and pulled me closer, I felt that he was just as naked as I.

I smiled into the sensation of his breathing against the back of my neck, the way his skin warmed my own, and how we fell asleep cuddled so close that even our legs were tangled.