Chapter 7! Hope you like it!


"Relax your wrist."

"Watch your stance."

"Mind the wind."

Arinna dropped her head with a low growl. For the past five days, she had left the camp with Fili every evening before supper to train with him. And so far, she was not getting any better and he was starting to get on her last nerve.

"You know, you're a very annoying teacher," she huffed over her shoulder, while trying to adjust her position according to his comments. She heard Fili laugh from where he was leaning against a nearby tree, watching.

"I'm only trying to help."

"I know, but…" the druid grumbled, not quite knowing what to say. After all, it wasn't Fili's fault that she was no good. She trailed off, instead of finishing her sentence trying her luck once more. She threw the dagger that he had sharpened for her and it landed in the bark of the tree before her with a small thud. Fili had stuck a piece of fabric to the tree with another knife, her own was stuck several inches above it.

"Agh," Arinna huffed, kicking slightly at the ground. "It's no use, Fili."

She turned to look at him, feeling rather disappointed with herself, and Fili pushed himself off the tree as he returned her gaze. "You're making progress," he told her as he passed her, going to retrieve her dagger. "Five days ago you kept missing the tree by three feet at least."

He came and pressed the dagger back into her right hand, giving her a small smile. "How long did it take you to master the use of your sword? A few years at least, I'd wager. You're just expecting too much too soon, is all."

Arinna sighed.

"Don't be so defeatist," Fili teased her. "It doesn't suit you."

That caused the druid's lips to twitch into a small smile and she looked up at the dwarf, her smile broadening at the encouraging look in his eyes. Fili took a few steps away from her then, motioning for her to try again. Arinna drew a small breath and straightened up again, encouraged by Fili's words, and tried to take all his advice into consideration as she positioned herself. He watched her for a few seconds, then she heard him sigh, and a moment later he was standing behind her, his arm reaching around her to guide her own.

Arinna's grip on the dagger faltered slightly as she felt his chest press into her back, his chin brushing against the side of her head as he reached up and enclosed her hand with his, his fingers moving hers into a slightly different position on the hilt and making her grip it harder again. Fili had instructed her before, of course, but never quite so directly. The druid wasn't quite sure what she should make of it, but she had no real time to think about it, as he nudged her legs further apart with his foot.

"Do you feel the wind?" He asked her quietly, his voice so close to her ear that Arinna felt a small shiver run down her spine. She didn't quite trust her voice, so she just nodded, while he adjusted the position of both their arms. "It's going to push the blade slightly to the left, so keep your aim steady."

His hand fell from hers and instead it came to rest on her right hip. "Now, throw."

She followed his command, throwing the dagger with all her might. It flew through the air and hit the tree with a thud, embedding itself in the middle of the piece of fabric. A satisfied smile played around Fili's lips while Arinna's mouth dropped open slightly, her eyes bright with the joy of success. She felt like turning around and hugging Fili, so good did it feel to finally have hit the target, even if it was mainly due to his help.

However, she did not turn around to him. In fact, she did not move at all and instead only heard herself speak quietly. "I did it."

"Yes, you did." She felt Fili turn his head slightly toward her, his nose grazing her hair. She could still feel his large hand on her hip as he spoke. "It's all just a question of practice and concentration."

"It's time for -"

They both jumped and broke apart at the sound of Kili's loud voice carrying over the small clearing they had chosen as practice ground. Arinna looked over to see the brunet dwarf standing between the trees, his eyebrows raised as he stared at the two of them. Fili quickly moved toward their practice tree to retrieve both the dagger and the fabric they used as target, therefor avoiding his brother's gaze.

"- supper…" Kili slowly finished his sentence, clearing his throat as he looked from his brother to Arinna. He shot the druid a friendly smile. "I think Bilbo's saved you a plate, Arinna."

The druid nodded, feeling slightly flustered and hot in the face. She quickly grabbed the dagger that Fili was holding out to her wordlessly and then hurried past the two of them, back to camp. Kili looked over his shoulder as she retreated and then turned his gaze to his brother as Fili made his way past him.

"What?" Fili harrumphed slightly, only shooting the younger dwarf a short look before he averted his eyes at his brother's meaningful stare.

"Oh, nothing," Kili grinned as he turned and followed after him. "Nothing at all, nadad."


They had reached the outskirts of the Misty Mountains after another week on the road and had begun their ascent earlier that day. Fili was hiking along, up the mountainside, with his brother at his front and the druid woman behind him. He had been lost in thought for most of the day and hadn't really spoken much with anyone, not even Kili.

He had kept training with Arinna for the past few days, encouraging her and rejoicing in her slow but steady progress with her. But he had been careful not to repeat another situation that could have been misinterpreted by others. He thought he knew what Kili was thinking ever since he had surprised them that evening, though he hadn't actually talked to him about it. The was really nothing to talk about, Fili thought. Perhaps it had been inappropriate for him to be so close with her, Fili admitted to himself, though he hadn't meant anything by it. He certainly hadn't done it on purpose.

"There's a storm coming," he heard Arinna say from behind him, though he wasn't sure whether she was addressing him and he didn't turn around to her to check.

They kept walking as the path grew steeper and narrower - and much more dangerous. There was now a cliff rising up high to their left and a sheer drop on the other side. Arinna had been right about the storm, which was now raging around them, but Thorin kept them moving. There was no way that they could stop now, Fili knew, they had to find some sort of shelter or else they would probably soon all fall to their deaths.

Thunder rolled over them at a deafening volume and lightning pierced the dark sky, as the rain came down hard upon them, making it hard to see anything. The stony path that they were treading was wet and slippery, forcing them to move slowly.

"Bilbo!" Someone cried out behind him and Fili turned his head, squinting through the rain and seeing the hobbit being pulled back onto the path by Dwalin after a piece of rock had fallen away beneath the Halfling's feet.

"We must find shelter!" Dwalin shouted over the noise of the storm, his voice barely loud enough to carry all the way to Thorin at the front of the company.

"WATCH OUT!"

Fili didn't know who was yelling when he looked up with the others, seeing a massive boulder hurtling through the air towards them. The blond dwarf ducked as it hit the mountainside above them, splintering and causing a wave of rocks to fall all around them. Fili pressed himself against the mountain, ducking his head as the rocks fell past him and down into the abyss. He looked up with heavy breaths, only now realising that one of his arms had shot out instinctively and was hovering in front of the druid, who was holding herself close to the wall beside him. He caught her frightened look through the rain.

"This is no thunderstorm!" He heard Balin yell from somewhere further ahead. "It's a thunder battle! Look!"

Fili looked up, not quite believing his eyes, as he squinted through the raindrops on his face and saw a stone giant, larger than anything he had ever seen before, rearing up from a nearby mountain. He watched with wide eyes as it ripped off another enormous boulder from the top of the mountain.

"Bless me!" Bofur shouted in amazement as he leaned forward to get a better look. "The legends are true! Giants! Stone Giants!"

"Take cover, you fool!" Thorin's voice boomed across the path and Bofur seemed to remember himself just in time, ducking away as the giant threw the boulder far in the air. They watched as it flew and hit another giant, which had risen up behind them, in the head. Thunder rolled over them as they yelled out and braced themselves, holding on to the stone as best they could.

Fili felt the rocks beneath his feet give away from the incredible vibration that ran deep through the stone and from the impact of more falling rocks. He scrambled back against the wall as much as he could, pressing his back against it. And then he suddenly heard a loud crack at his side and he saw the ground between himself and Kili split.

"We're on one!" Someone screamed as the company was divided and Fili reached out his hand toward his brother, panic clutching at his heart as he watched him drift further away.

"Kili! Grab my hand!" He yelled, desperately trying to reach him but the gap quickly became too big and he could only watch as his little brother stared at him with wide eyes, too far away now. Fili almost fell then, still leaning forward when the giant beneath them suddenly began to move. He felt someone forcefully yank him back by the fur of his collar and met Arinna's eyes as she kept a firm grip on him.

As the two stone giants began fighting with their fists, the dwarves held on tightly as they were flung around. Fili couldn't see the other part of their group now, instead he saw another stone giant suddenly throw a boulder at the head of the one they were trapped on. They cried out as they felt the giant begin to fall and as they looked up, they came face to face with a fast approaching cliffside.

"BRACE!" Dwalin shouted as loud as he could and Fili, again reacting out of instinct more than anything else, threw himself in front of Arinna at the last moment as they smashed against the rock.

The next thing Fili heard was his uncle shouting his name and he opened his eyes, surprised to find himself still alive. He was met with the wide green eyes of the druid lying beneath him, her hands both buried in his furs as she stared up at him, while his own hands were wrapped around her head protectively. They were both breathing heavily and Fili took a second to press his hands against her hair, checking her face for any obvious injuries. He looked back into her eyes when he couldn't find any, releasing a shuddering breath as his thumb traced softly over the top of her forehead.

"We're alright!"

"We're alive!"

"Where's Bilbo? Where's the hobbit?!"

The last yell pulled both dwarf and druid out of their trance and Fili quickly scrambled off her, helping her to her feet as they looked around for the Halfling. Ori found him first, calling out fearfully and pointing at the edge of the cliff.

Bilbo was hanging off the edge, holding on to a precariously small bit of stone with just his fingertips. The dwarves yelled out to get him and Ori dove onto the ground, trying to grab the hobbit's arm but it was right at that moment that the stone beneath Bilbo's grip suddenly gave way and he fell another few feet with a scream, barely managing to catch another handhold.

More of the dwarves now dove for the edge, reaching down as far as they could to try and pull the hobbit up but it was no use, they couldn't reach him. As they tried to pull him up unsuccessfully, Thorin suddenly swung himself off the cliff next to Bilbo and gave him a quick boost up. The hobbit managed to crawl back onto solid ground with the dwarves' help.

"Thorin!" Kili yelled, when he suddenly saw his uncle slip and lose his grip. Dwalin dove forward again, managing to catch the dark-haired dwarf by the arm before he fell. Kili came to his aid, grabbing for his uncle and pulling him back up to safety.

There was a heavy silence over the company as they all struggled to catch their breath, thunder still rolling over them as they looked at each other with relief over having survived the whole ordeal.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar," grunted Dwalin eventually, getting to his feet beside Thorin with a groan.

"He's been lost ever since he left home," the dwarf-king growled loudly in return, anger radiating off him as he shot the hobbit a dark look. Bilbo shrank back in the face of Thorin's fury. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us. Dwalin! Come on, let's find shelter. I want to get out of this blasted storm."

No one said anything as the two dwarves walked off, Thorin storming ahead with a murderous look still playing on his face. It was Balin who was the first of the rest of them to move, making a tired motion to the others to follow him.

They found a cave not long after, dark, damp and cold but good enough to use as shelter from the storm still raging on outside.

"It looks safe enough," stated Dwalin as the company filed into the cave, exchanging a look with the dwarf-king, whose eyes were sceptical but tired.

"Search to the back," he answered gruffly. "Caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied."

Dwalin just inclined his head, and he and Gloin quickly marched off further into the cave to inspect it. They came back only a few moments later, nodding at Thorin. "There's nothing here."

"Let's get a fire going," Gloin then suggested but Thorin quickly shook his head, giving his companions a stern look.

"No, no fires. Not in this place," he ordered roughly. "Get some sleep. We start at first light."

"But Thorin," Balin interjected quietly, looking at his king with furrowed brows. "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan."

"Plans change," was all Thorin huffed in reply, before he turned away from Balin whose gaze was still worried. "Oin, Arinna, make the rounds. Make sure no one was injured. Bofur, take first watch."

The dwarves began to settle down in the cave then, wrapping their arms around themselves to keep somewhat warm, as their clothes were still wet and the cold wind was howling outside, blowing into the cave every now and again. Arinna and Oin did as Thorin had ordered, both starting at opposite ends of the company and making their way through.

Arinna was happy to find that none of the dwarves had been badly injured, most of them just sporting some bruises. She was currently taking care of a cut above Dwalin's brow, though the dwarf kept brushing her hand away from his face.

"I'm fine, lass," he grumbled, leaning back against the stone behind him with a huff. "Believe me, I've had worse than this scrape."

"I don't doubt it, Dwalin," Arinna retorted, slightly frustrated with the burly dwarf as she picked up a small amount of ointment that she had stored in a small pot in her pack. She reached out to his wound again, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him when he made motions to brush her off again. "Dwalin, I am too tired for this. I know you're tough and you don't deem this wound worthy of treatment, but believe me when I say that even small injuries can cause bigger trouble if left unchecked. And it would be foolish to refuse help when it is given freely."

Dwalin huffed quietly at her words, though he didn't move to keep her hands off his face again. Arinna gave a curt nod and proceeded to spread the bit of ointment on his wound. The dwarf flinched at first, then he visibly relaxed.

"Aye," he rumbled in his usual gruff tone, as Arinna retrieved her hand, his voice low. "That does feel better, actually. Thank you, lass."

The druid only inclined her head, giving the dwarf a small smile before she got up and retreated to her own spot in the cave, having checked up on all the others. She sat down with a deep sigh, her right hand coming up to rub softly up and down her left arm. Her scar was throbbing, though she wasn't in much pain.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up when Kili sat down beside her with a small groan, letting his head drop back against the stone wall. He looked as exhausted as Arinna felt. The druid nodded, before she shrugged slightly.

"Just a bit sore is all," she admitted and Kili just made a face that could only be interpreted as agreement. He looked over at her then, a strange look on his face. The druid couldn't quite tell what he was thinking, mistaking the dwarf's expression as simple exhaustion. But Kili's mind was occupied with something entirely different. He was remembering what he had seen when he and the others had watched Arinna and the rest of their group hurtle toward the cliffside to their almost certain deaths. His gaze drifted over to where his brother sat, talking quietly to Ori a few paces further down the dark cave.

"He shielded me," Arinna muttered from beside him and Kili turned his head to see that she had followed his gaze and was looking at Fili as well.

"I know," Kili answered quietly. "I saw."

Arinna tore her gaze away from the blond dwarf, shaking her head slightly. Kili glanced at her, curious at the frustrated line that seemed to have formed between her brows. He cleared his throat then, sending her a small smile. "Well, I'm certainly glad you're all still in one piece. Could have ended much worse."

"Indeed," Arinna sighed in return, but said nothing else on the matter. Instead, she nestled herself closer against the cold stone, trying to get warm as best she could. Kili did the same beside her and it didn't take long until exhaustion overcame their senses and they both drifted off to sleep.