Chapter 16, hope you enjoy! Thanks very much to purple-pygmy-puff16 and BrySt1 for your reviews!


Deciding that they would follow the Forest River East the next morning, Fili and Arinna set up camp in the shelter of the trees. For the first time since they had entered the forest, the druid didn't feel as though her every movement was being watched by creeping eyes just beyond the darkness. The sickness of the Mirkwood did not seem to reach this far North yet, allowing them to breathe the fresh forest air without fear of it muddling their senses.

Arinna was sleeping lightly. Her head was leaning against Fili's shoulder, as she had gotten used to by now, and she was relishing in the warmth that emanated from the dwarf. However, her eyes shot open when a large hand suddenly covered her mouth and she was about to scream when she heard Fili's voice whisper in her ear.

"Shh," he breathed, keeping his hand over her mouth while his other was resting on the hilt of his sword. Arinna's eyes were wide and confused when she felt his chin press against the side of her head, as he gave a tiny nod in the direction of the river. She followed the gesture with her eyes. "Orcs."

The druid watched with wide eyes as a small group of orcs made their way through the trees on the Northern bank of the river. They were moving swiftly westwards along the water, toward the borders of the Woodland Realm, Arinna realised with a frown. In the darkness, the orcs did not notice them in the cover of the trees on their side of the riverbank, but it was only when the pack was safely out of sight that Fili finally removed his hand from her face and the druid took a deep breath.

"We must move at first light," Fili murmured near her ear, his voice tense as he spoke. "Get as much distance between ourselves and those beasts as we can."

"Why are they travelling West?" Arinna voiced her thoughts aloud, though she didn't disagree with Fili, turning her head slightly toward the blond dwarf. "Why would they willingly go so near the Woodland Realm? Why if not because they think to find Thorin there? They still seek his head as their prize."

Fili remained silent, considering her words. Perhaps she was right and Thorin and the company had somehow ended up in the Woodland Realm, perhaps captured by the Elves on their way along the Elven path, as they had almost been themselves that very day. But there was no way of knowing for certain, and to throw themselves into the Wood-Elves' open arms to find out wouldn't help.

"We cannot know that for sure," he uttered quietly, letting out a frustrated sigh. He wasn't sure if what they were doing was the right thing, but he had no choice but to follow his gut instinct. "And we can't risk being captured ourselves while trying to find out, if it's not true. I don't fancy being thrown in a cell for trespassing on Elven land when we've already come so far. No, we must make for Esgaroth and look for my uncle there. I know that's where he'll go, the company will need fresh provisions and supplies before the march to Erebor. Esgaroth is the closest populated town."

The druid just slowly nodded her agreement before he felt her lean back slightly against him. He could tell that she did not sleep for the rest of the night, and neither did he, though none of them spoke another word. Fili's hand was still sat on the hilt of his sword when the sky began to brighten with the rise of the morning sun, while his other arm was wrapped around Arinna's middle. He wasn't sure when exactly he had stopped caring about whether his actions toward her would have been considered inappropriate by others. All he knew was that he wanted to keep her close and safe, knowing by now all too well the dangers that lurked in this forest.

Arinna slowly extracted herself from the dwarf's grip and stood, before she helped Fili to his feet, as well. She gave him a small smile, though she still said nothing as they packed their things and set out. The druid had lain awake for the rest of the night, unable to find any sleep as she had thought about the orc pack and her lost friends, the rest of Thorin's company. She only hoped that they were all doing well, and that all of them would make it out of the forest in one piece, if they hadn't already. Though her thoughts kept drifting toward other things, as well. All night she had felt Fili's right arm wrapped protectively around her, her back leaning against his chest, and she had wondered for the first time when she had become so cosy with the dwarf. They had begun sleeping like this for warmth, Arinna thought, but she knew that if they had still been among the rest of the company, she would never have let herself be this close with him, knowing how inappropriate it would be. She still vividly remembered the time that Kili had surprised them in the woods during their training, recalling how she had broken away from the blond dwarf in embarrassment at the realisation of how close they had been. However, she could not pretend as though she minded. Not then, and not now, she thought. She felt safe in Fili's arms, felt as though her troubles fled to the back of her mind for a little while when he held her.

"Here."

Fili's voice ripped her out of her thoughts. They had been walking for a few hours now and had stopped to refill their water skins, the water from the Forest River fresh and cold and carrying no dangerous magic. The dwarf handed her one of the skins, looking at her with slightly furrowed brows.

"Everything alright?" He asked with slight worry when she just stared at him for a long moment, her green eyes seeming unfocused. He reached up and gently touched her shoulder, which seemed to rip her out of her musings. She blinked up at him. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, earning herself a small chuckle from the blond prince.

"I doubt that," he answered but inclined his head with a small smile when she said nothing in return. His mood was brighter now than it had been for days and he gave her shoulder a small squeeze before he let go. "Alright then, keep your secrets. We'll keep going until nightfall. We are making good time. I think we can make it to Esgaroth within the next two days or so if we keep up this pace."

The druid gave a short nod and fell back into step with him, and though she tried to occupy her mind otherwise, her thoughts kept circling back to the blond dwarf beside her for the remainder of the day. Arinna could tell that Fili was beginning to worry about her when she had barely spoken a word until they set up their small camp in the evening. They didn't build a fire, for fear of alerting the orc pack, or indeed the Elves, to their presence.

"I cannot wait until I get a chance to brush my hair," Arinna sighed in an effort to make at least some conversation as she sat down on the ground. She felt bad for unintentionally giving Fili the cold shoulder all day, and offered him a smile as he shot her a small look from where he was sitting beside her, the trees by the river now letting through enough light from the night sky to be able to actually see her in the evening. She could tell by the expression in his eyes that he was glad but surprised to hear her talk suddenly. "I hope I can get a decent comb somewhere in Lake Town."

"I do believe that they've just started selling them in the markets there about a year ago," Fili jested lightly. "The same time that someone brought their attention to the invention of the wheel."

The druid rolled her eyes at him, though a genuine smile was now pulling at the corners of her lips. Fili continued more earnestly. "It's not so bad, really," he said, his eyes drifting over her long black hair that was hanging over her shoulders. Sure, it was knotty and could do with a wash, much like his own, but she still looked beautiful, he thought to himself. He slightly cleared his throat before he went on. "I remember one time, when we were children, Kili had gotten himself into some sort of a scrap. And when he came home, his hair was tangled like a bird's nest. Knots as large as his little fists. Ma was shouting at him like there was no tomorrow. She spent hours brushing them out."

"Why not just cut them out if they were so bad? Save herself a bit of time?" Arinna asked, amused by the dwarf's story, and feeling more at ease now than she had all day, but she fell silent at Fili's wide-eyed gaze.

He shook his head vehemently. "Oh no," he answered. "No. Cutting off a dwarf's hair would be like cutting away a part of his honour. His pride. She would never have done that to him."

Arinna's mouth fell open slightly as she understood and she nodded slowly, before a thought suddenly occurred to her. "I didn't know you were so particular about your hair. Is that why you all wear some kind of braid? I mean, dwarves. I've noticed everyone of the company has at least one. Except Kili perhaps."

"Kili has one," the blond dwarf corrected her with a small smile, thinking of his brother and trying not to let the worry for him fill his heart. He was sure Kili was fine, he was always fine no matter the trouble he got into. "A small one behind his right ear. Though I can hardly fault you for not seeing it, he never quite grew out of the bird's nest phase I'm afraid."

His smile brightened as the druid laughed quietly at his words, and he went on to actually answer her question. "We braid our hair for different occasions. Each braid, depending on its weave and its position, signifies something else. Affiliation with a family clan, for example, or victory in battle."

"What do yours mean?" The druid now asked curiously, fascinated by the lesson in dwarfish culture that Fili was giving her. She saw him hesitate for a second before he smiled again, reaching up to touch his own plaits.

"This one here," he pointed to the one behind his right ear. "Is the Durin family braid. See the clasp? Every member of our family wears it. Thorin, my mother, Kili and I."

Arinna nodded, listening carefully as he continued, his hand moving to the one just in front of his right ear. "This one I got for my very first success in battle. Kili and I were escorting a group of merchants, when two stray orcs attacked us. We cut them down."

"Should Kili not be wearing two braids in that case? Why did he not get one for that?" Arinna asked in confusion, trying to follow the dwarf's explanation. Fili gave her a slight smirk.

"Because he did not land the killing blow either time," he said, before he continued, now holding the braid in front of his left ear between his fingers and twisting it slightly. "And this one was to mark my 80th birthday, two years ago."

Arinna smiled. "Did you have a grand celebration?"

"Aye," Fili chuckled, rubbing one hand over his beard as he thought back to the day. "My mother insisted, though I can't say I'm much for such big celebrations, especially if I'm at the centre of it. When is your birthday?"

The druid was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question, though she obliged quietly. "The fourth of December. I turned forty-seven last year."

Fili shot her a slightly incredulous look before he remembered what was said about druids. That they were blessed with long life and strange gifts. He could now confirm both of these things, he thought to himself with a small smile, before he continued with their original topic.

"There's other things that braids could stand for, of course. A braid behind the left ear, for example, would be a symbol of courtship. One running across the back of the head one for marriage," he added and the druid watched as he smiled quickly and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly. "And so on. Anyway, that's about the lot of it."

Arinna couldn't quite help her gaze falling on Fili's left ear for a moment, noticing that there was no braid behind it. She tried to shake off the strange small feeling of relief as she reached to her own face, mimicking the contours of a moustache around her mouth. "And what about those ones?"

Fili chuckled at the funny face she pulled as she gestured, brushing his hand against his own, real and braided moustache. "I mainly just think they look good," he admitted with a slightly sheepish grin and Arinna's face broke into a bright smile.

"They do," she agreed and Fili was about to return her smile at the compliment, when he suddenly froze, feeling her fingers reach up and give one of his braids a light, playful tug. His heart was suddenly in his mouth and he looked at her wide-eyed, his whole body tensing at her touch. Arinna's hand dropped from Fili's moustache immediately as she saw his reaction, and she opened her mouth in alarm, afraid that she had somehow managed to horribly offend him.

And then she suddenly felt his large, calloused hand on her cheek, and it was only now that she truly realised how close they actually were, as he leaned further toward her. The druid's breath hitched in her throat at Fili's intense gaze and the touch of his hand on her face. She could hardly stand the intensity of his pale blue eyes, not knowing where to look and yet unable to tear her gaze away from his face. His thumb brushed over her cheekbone and she saw his eyes search hers for a moment, though she wasn't sure for what, and then they suddenly darted down to her lips and back up just as quickly. Arinna felt her heart skip a beat, and in that moment she wished that he would just do it. She wished he'd kiss her.

Fili's hand fell from her face as suddenly as he had reached for it, ripping the druid out of her trance and making her flinch. She could only stare at the dwarf as he dropped his head, a low sound escaping him, which almost sounded like a growl. And then he abruptly moved away from her, putting several feet of distance between them. Fili turned his back on the druid, unable to look her in the eye as he lay down on the hard ground without another word.

Arinna stared at the dwarf's back with a lost expression on her face for a long time, not knowing what had just happened. The only thing she now knew for certain was that her feelings for Fili were not those of a mere friend. She had fallen in love with him.

The druid shivered as the cold autumn wind rushed through the trees.