I'm back with a longer chapter. Thanks to blasttyrant for your review on the last one, I'm really happy to hear that you're enjoying this story! Let me know your thoughts on this one!


The sun had almost set when Fili was pacing along the side of Kili's bed nervously, watching as his brother writhed in pain. He had woken a little while ago, though Fili wasn't sure whether "awake" was actually the right term for what Kili was. His little brother was conscious but unresponsive. He did not speak, only groans and gasps of pain falling from his lips and Fili could do nothing but watch as Arinna changed the cloth on his forehead and helplessly tried to get the brunet's fever down. Bofur had been gone for what seemed like ages and had not returned with the Kingsfoil. And though Fili wasn't sure what Arinna meant to do with a weed, he trusted her enough to know that it was important, and he could tell from the way she kept glancing toward the door in hopes of it opening and revealing their hatted friend that she was growing anxious.

"I have nightshade," Bard suggested, worry now also clear to hear in his voice as he stood in the kitchen, glancing over at the injured dwarf in the room. He was rummaging through a small cabinet. "Or feverfew."

"That won't do," Arinna replied tensely with a shake of her head as she held Kili's hand, trying to give the dwarf some comfort as he curled up in obvious agony. She wasn't sure he was even aware of her touch at all at this point. "I need Athelas. Where's Bofur? He should've been back by now!"

Her last statement was directed at Fili who didn't know what to say. He glanced down at his brother, feeling his heart clench at what might happen if they did not soon find a way to help him.

"I'll go look for him," he then said, uncertain at the idea of leaving his injured brother but at the same time wanting nothing more than to be able to do something. Anything. And if it was only to find Bofur and drag him back to the house by his pigtails.

Arinna opened her mouth to reply, when the walls suddenly began to shake around them. A noise, like great thunder, rolled over the town and a heavy vibration reverberated through the ground, the walls, the water beneath the town. The pots and pans that hung from hooks on the ceiling clinked together as they shook, dust falling from the wooden boards that held up the roof of the house. They all looked up in alarm, Bard looking out the window while Fili and Arinna sought each other's gaze. It was one of Bard's children who was the first to speak.

"Was that an earthquake?" Bain asked in slight confusion and obvious doubt. "It's coming from the mountain!"

His father caught his gaze over the kitchen counter, shaking his head with a dreadful expression on his face. He knew exactly what that had been, just as Fili and the druid did, though he did not have the heart to tell his children just then.

"You should leave us," Fili spoke up, taking a few steps away from his little brother and addressing Bard directly. Worry was clear to see in his pale blue eyes and Bard returned his gaze with slight surprise, though his face hardened slightly with the dwarf's next words. "Take your children. Get out of here."

"And go where?" The Lakeman asked quietly, with a strange calm, looking from the blond dwarf to the dark-haired druid who was watching him with an unreadable expression. "There is nowhere to go."

"Are we going to die, Da?" A small voice spoke suddenly and the three adults turned to Bard's youngest daughter, Tilda, who was looking up at her father with wide, fearful eyes.

Bard shook his head. "No, darling."

"But the dragon… it's going to kill us," the little girl went on, not believing her father's reassurance. It was then that Bard's expression grew into quiet resolve, and he looked at his three children for a few long moments, taking in their fear and feeling it drive him to the inevitable conclusion. He reached up then, toward the pots and pans that hung from the ceiling and ripped off the very thing they were attached to.

A large black arrow came off the wall, feeling heavy in Bard's hand as he held it tightly. "Not if I kill it first," he growled.

"A black arrow," Fili gasped as he watched the scene, his eyes trained on the object in Bard's hands. The Lakeman shot him a short look. "I thought they were all destroyed when Girion made his last stand. My uncle told us the story many times."

"Your uncle was mistaken," Bard replied sternly, gripping the arrow. "It has been in my family for generations. And if this should be the night to use it, then so be it."

Fili inclined his head with respect, feeling guilty at the thought that it was because of them - because of the quest - that his family was in such danger, and he was forced to use it. It was then that Bard motioned for his son to follow him as he made his way toward the front door. Bain was on his heels as he turned around one more time, sending his two daughters a soft but serious look.

"Stay here," he said, reaching out one hand to touch Sigrid's shoulder gently. "Stay safe!"

And with that he was out of the door, his son behind him, and the rest of them were still staring at the spot where they had vanished when the door snapped shut again with a small thud. There was a heavy silence over the room as another thunderous sound rose from the distant mountain and descended into the valley, rolling over Lake Town.

Arinna felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, her fear of the awoken dragon mingling with the fear for Kili again as the injured dwarf cried out once more, his croaky voice echoing off the walls of the house. The druid rushed forward, grabbing him by the shoulders as he flailed about on the bed, his body contorting in pain. It was then that his eyes suddenly shot open and his pupils seemed surprisingly clear, staring up at her fearfully.

"Kili!" She whispered, pressing her hands to his face as he breathed heavily. One of his hands reached upwards, searching for something. She watched his eyes roam from her face to the ceiling.

"Na… Nadad," the brunet dwarf spoke quietly through gritted teeth, and though Arinna didn't know what the word meant, she saw Fili whirl around at the small word, rushing back to his brother's side and catching the hand that was still searching in the air.

"I'm here," Fili said urgently, squeezing Kili's hand and causing the younger dwarf's now hazy gaze to find him. An almost untraceable smile pulled at Kili's lips as he took in his brother's face hovering above him. Fili was staring at him fearfully, almost feeling the sudden change in Kili's body. "I'm here, brother. Just hold on a little longer! Bofur will be back soon. We'll get you back on your feet in no time, Kili. I promise you."

"You shouldn't… make…" Kili had trouble speaking at all, though he was trying to get his sentence out with all his might as he stared up at his big brother. "… make promises you… can't… keep."

Fili shook his head, feeling his heart clench and tears sting in his eyes as Kili's eyes seemed to glaze over again, and it was only a few moments before another pained moan ripped through the brunet's body. The blond prince looked up at Arinna helplessly, seeing that the druid's eyes were wet with her own tears as she looked at the brothers' still entwined hands. Kili groaned again, a deep and almost unnatural sound now, before he fell eerily silent, his breathing still heavy but much slower.

"He's fallen back asleep," Arinna whispered after a few moments, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek before she looked up at Fili. She didn't know what to say to him, so she silently grabbed the bowl of water from the table beside the bed and made her way over to the kitchen to empty and refill it. It was only when she arrived at the counter that she looked up and noticed Tilda sitting on the ground by the fireplace by herself. A small frown came to play on the druid's face as she looked around.

"Tilda, where is your sister?" She asked then, causing the little girl to look up at her. Her eyes were still wide and frightened, and Arinna tried to give her a calming smile, not wanting to upset the girl any more.

"She's gone outside," Tilda finally answered with a small shrug, as she pointed to the closed front door. "To wait for Da and Bain to come back."

Arinna sighed as she followed the gesture. She thought for a moment before she filled up the tea pot with water again, going over to the fireplace to heat it up before she made her way over to Fili. She handed him the fresh bowl of water and the cloth for Kili, and the blond dwarf took it without a word, taking over the duty of replacing it on his little brother's forehead while Arinna finished the tea.

She offered Tilda a cup, which the little girl took with a small thanks, before the druid made her way to the front door. Stepping outside, she found Sigrid leaning against the bannister of the stairs that led up to the house, looking out over the empty streets. Arinna stepped up beside her, and the girl shot her a small glance as she held out the steaming cup of fresh tea to her.

"It's chilly out here," Arinna offered quietly. "I thought you could use it."

Sigrid took the cup with a faint smile. "Thank you," she muttered, her eyes darting back to the deserted streets around the house. Arinna watched her for a moment as she took a small sip from the tea, feeling empathy for the worried look on Sigrid's face. Another rumble rolled over the town and they both looked up at the same time, their eyes finding the peak of the Lonely Mountain just visible in the distance over the rooftops of the town.

Arinna felt the blonde girl beside her reach suddenly for her hand and she returned the gesture, giving Sigrid's fingers a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes drifted away from the mountain as the vibrations subsided and it was then that her eyes fell on the small person making their way through the streets toward the house.

"Bofur!" She called, relief washing over her as she saw the dwarf approaching quickly, a small bundle of herbs visible in his hands. Arinna could just make out the small white flowers from this distance, and she felt a heavy breath escape her that almost sounded like a sob. She could now make out Bofur's features as he got closer. "You're back!"

The hatted dwarf looked up at the sound of her voice, seeing the two women standing on the doorstep of Bard's house and looking down toward him with relieved expressions on their faces. The druid saw him open his mouth, a smile playing around his lips, before his eyes suddenly darted upwards and away from them. The smile fell from his face and his eyes widened with shock and what Arinna thought was fear, as he opened his mouth again, his loud voice cutting through the silent streets.

"ORCS!" Bofur yelled, raising the hand that held the herbs to point at something above Arinna's head. The druid whirled around. "LOOK OUT!"

It all went too fast for Arinna to react at all. She looked up, coming face to face with one of several orcs that had climbed onto the roof of Bard's house. She cried out, the creature snarled viciously and jumped down, while the rest of the pack used their strength to destroy the roof of the house. Arinna could hear Tilda's shriek from the inside as she was knocked down by the orc, falling backwards and painfully landing on top of the stairs as Sigrid now screeched in panic as well as the beast turned on her.

Arinna scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, throwing herself onto the orc's back as it was about to attack the girl. She threw her body backwards, making the orc stumble a few feet away from Sigrid who quickly moved out of the way and ran back into the house, leaving the door open behind her. Arinna was scrambling on the beast's back as it shook, trying to get rid of her, finally throwing her off and directly through the open door. She landed on the wooden floor with a painful thud, screeches and screams filling the house. She looked up to see the orc starting to make its way through the door when it was hit from behind with a large oar, and the druid only saw a small glimpse of Bofur before the orc took him down with it, tumbling down the stairs outside.

Something crashed then, and the druid looked up to find another orc - there were so many of them cramped into the small space of Bard's house - trying to get at Sigrid and Tilda who were hopelessly trying to defend themselves with an already broken chair. Arinna reacted out of instinct, reaching for the dagger she still kept in her boot and throwing it with full force at the orc, the blade embedding itself in the side of its head. The two girls cried out as it fell to the ground and Arinna scrambled to her feet again, swiftly making her way over to them.

"Quickly! Get under the table!" She called over the chaos as she pulled her dagger from the dead orc's head, ushering the two girls to hide beneath the dinner table for at least some sort of protection, before she turned around, facing yet another orc. She could see Fili fighting two at the same time from the corner of her eyes, trying to defend his helpless, injured brother. But he had been as surprised by the attack as any of them, his swords out of reach and the only weapons to fight the few knives he carried on his body still.

Arinna dodged the orc that was coming at her, turning and slashing at it as she did. She got merely its arm, dark blood spilling from it as it snarled furiously. It made for her again and the druid stumbled backwards, her foot catching on the leg of the orc she had killed already. She fell to the ground, barely managing to keep hold of her blade as the attacker jumped on her. She rolled out of the way and cried out in pain when she suddenly felt something sharp connect with her leg. Another of the orcs had sliced its spiked sword at her thigh and had drawn blood, while the other one got back to its feet. The druid hobbled backwards, hearing again the screams of Bard's daughters echoing in her ears. The front door flew open and Arinna saw Bain stand there for a mere second before he was roughly grabbed by another of the foul beasts and thrown halfway through the room.

Fili was fending off the second of the orcs that had made straight for him, having managed to kill at least one of them. Though he was now down one knife as it was still stuck between the dead orc's eyes. As he sliced at the other beast, his eyes darted across the room, seeing his beloved trapped against the edge of the table that the two girls were hiding beneath, with only her small dagger to defend herself and them against two orcs. Fili knew that they stood no chance. They were only two of them - Mahal knew where Bofur was, or if he had been attacked already on the way to find the Kingsfoil - against four remaining orcs. There was the one he was still fighting, the two that Arinna was desperately trying to fend off and the last one, the tallest one of the bunch, who had thrown Bard's son into a wall and knocked him unconscious. This orc was clearly the leader of the pack and Fili had seen his cruel gaze rest on Kili, who had woken at all the noise and was clumsily trying to get out of the bed, to do something, though he would no doubt only hurt himself more in the process - or worse.

A fist connected with Fili's face and he stumbled backwards, trying to keep his footing as blood spilled from his nose. He blinked and dove out of the way of the opposite orc's sword coming at him. He landed on the ground with a pained groan and it was just when he looked up, seeing the sword come straight at his head again, that his attacker suddenly stopped and turned around. Fili crawled a few feet away, looking up to see whatever it was that had stopped the beast from going through with its assault.

His eyes widened when he saw one of the orcs that had been attacking Arinna lying unmoving on the ground, while the other was on its knees, gasping for breath, as though he was choking. While the other two orcs growled something in Black Speech, Fili saw Arinna's lips moving as she held out one hand toward the kneeling orc before her. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear.

"Thu oru le! Thu oru le!" The druid chanted, feeling fury and fear drive her on for once instead of interfering with her magic. She hadn't known whether it would work, whether it was something she could do at all, but there had been no other choice. There would have been no chance to defeat the orcs as they were, outnumbered, practically unarmed, and with three children and Kili to protect. And so, she had begun to chant, summoning the magic within her core to draw the very air from the orcs' lungs.

The one before her grabbed at its neck, wheezing as it struggled to breathe. Its weapon had dropped to the floor and as Arinna looked up, keeping her hand pointed at the beast before her, she could see the remaining two orcs hesitate at her actions. It was only a moment though, before they sprung back into gear and both rushed toward her at the same time, realising that she was the biggest threat in the room at that moment. Arinna raised her free hand toward one of them with wide eyes, making it stumble to a halt as the air began to leave its body as well. Though she had no way to stop the other one, seeing it make for her with a spiked mace raised to cut her down.

It was Fili who threw the dagger that embedded itself in the orc's back, making it roar with pain as it stumbled in its step. It turned to him and growled viciously, though Fili could tell that its attention was torn between him and the still chanting druid on its other side, while he brandished his last dagger. The orc seemed to think for a second before it whirled back around and for a moment Fili thought it was going to go for Arinna again, to help its companions, but the beast instead made directly for the front door and disappeared from their view, shouting something into the night in Black Speech again, something that Fili didn't understand.

Fili stood frozen for a few long moments before his gaze finally fell back on the druid, as she let out a soft gasp while she still continued to chant her spell to keep the two orcs before her in place. But her hands were now shaking heavily, and Fili could tell just from looking at her that her strength was leaving her quickly, the beasts before her regaining their breath. He rushed forward, using the blade in his hand to swiftly cut the throats of both kneeling orcs before Arinna's spell would wear off. She stopped chanting the second their lifeless bodies fell to the ground, weakly dropping down onto her knees herself. Fili took a quick look at the third orc that already lay unmoving before her, making sure that it, too, was dead, before he reached out and grabbed the druid by her shoulders.

"Arinna," he uttered, squeezing her shoulders slightly to get her attention. She was breathing heavily, her skin having suddenly paled as she slowly looked up at him. Her green eyes were struggling to focus on him. "Are you alright? What did you do?"

The druid shook her head slightly, unable to speak. Her mind was completely hazy as she tried to concentrate on Fili's familiar blue eyes, staring at her worriedly. Using such powerful magic on the orcs had taken a lot out of her, all her strength going into her spell. Her legs felt wobbly even as she knelt on the floor, and she was glad for Fili's hands keeping a strong hold of her shoulders, keeping her upright.

"You killed them all," someone spoke in quiet shock behind them and Arinna followed Fili's gaze as he turned his head, finding Bain standing upright in the middle of the room, having regained consciousness at some point during the last few minutes.

"Not all," Fili rumbled, remembering the orc that had retreated, most likely to gather more of his pack. Fili wasn't sure if they would be back though, knowing that these orcs were most likely still searching for his uncle. Certainly, they would have loved to kill all of them tonight, but Thorin was still the prize they were hunting. Perhaps it had not seemed worthwhile to go up against magic in the face of not even taking back that prize.

It was at that moment that he heard the front door creak loudly, and his gaze shot up fearfully, worried that his assumption had been wrong. But it was no orc that stood in the doorframe, but Bofur, holding on to a bundle of weed adorned with white petals.

"That was something," the hatted dwarf spoke, sporting a dark bruise across one half of his face from his encounter with the orc pack outside. He had managed to kill the one that had sent him hurtling down the stairs, but it had not been shy to knock his face straight into a wall before that. "Is everyone alright?"

Fili looked from his friend to his little brother, who was lying on the wooden floor, having fallen out of the bed during the fight as he had tried with his last bit of strength to do something to defend himself and the people he loved, to no avail. Kili was curled up in pain, barely breathing now and Fili felt panic rise in him as he looked at Arinna, shaking her shoulders slightly.

"Arinna, Bofur is here," he said urgently, watching as her green eyes slowly found their way back to his face. He gripped her shoulders tightly, making her wince slightly. "He has the Kingsfoil!"

"Kingsfoil," the druid finally muttered, nodding her head as she repeated Fili's words and tried to get to her feet. The blond dwarf managed to catch her by her arms as she sunk back down weakly, though her eyes were now much more alert. Her gaze fell over Fili's shoulder on his little brother, lying unmoving on the cold ground. She pulled out of the prince's grasp then, moving the few metres toward Kili on her hands and knees. She felt her body protest at every little movement, her body and mind screaming for rest. But she was unable to give in to it, not now, she thought, as she put a shaky hand on Kili's neck, looking for his pulse.

"We are losing him," she whispered fearfully, not looking up as Fili and Bofur had come to kneel beside her. Even Bard's children had gathered around the brunet dwarf, faces heavy with concern. Arinna took the Athelas from Bofur as he helplessly held it out to her, her fingers moving swiftly to remove some of the white blossoms and the tops of the green plant, mashing them together in her hands while throwing away the bits she didn't need. Bofur moved out of the way slightly so she had access to the festering wound on Kili's leg. Meanwhile, Fili moved to kneel by his brother's head, lifting it into his lap as his hands brushed over his hair comfortingly. He was muttering under his breath, saying things to Kili in a language that Arinna did not understand.

Arinna shot Kili a last look before she pressed the Athelas against his wound, making his eyes shoot open suddenly as his body convulsed forcefully. Fili, shocked by his sudden rise, barely managed to hold him down by the shoulders. Bofur was quick to grab hold of Kili's feet as his legs kicked out, trying to get away from the pain that Arinna was causing him.

"Numonro hor tul ome…" The druid closed her eyes as she pressed her hands against the wound, trying to concentrate and ignore Kili's struggling, though she could feel that she wasn't ready. What she was trying to do was a healing spell of immense power, one that she had never before had to use, nor properly learned how to, as only druid elders would normally execute it and only on extremely rare occasions. Arinna had never actually seen anyone do it and only knew the spell from others' tales. And she could tell that her body was not yet ready for another use of magic, not so soon after she had almost exhausted herself with fending off the orcs. But there was no choice, she thought almost angrily, unwilling to accept the boundaries that her body and mind were trying to put on her. She had to be ready, for Kili. Her friend would die if her magic did not work right now. That was certain. She could feel death radiating off him, beginning to envelope his body as the poison had almost finished doing its horrific work.

Arinna shook her head, banishing the thought from her head as she pressed her eyelids closed, putting even more pressure on Kili's wound. She felt him buck and kick beneath her, the children now rushing to help the others hold him down.

"Numonro hor tul ome," the druid repeated, ignoring the tired protest of her own magic as she forced it into action once more. "Numonro hor tul ome. On sun r-su erru."

Fili watched as Arinna chanted, first under her breath and then her voice grew louder, uttering words that he did not understand over Kili's pained screams. For a few moments it seemed as though she was only causing him more pain.

"Tam numonro. On sun r-su erru," she kept going, her voice growing tense with effort. Fili stared, and looked from her to the face of his little brother as he felt Kili's body slowly begin to relax. He had stopped kicking now, and his breathing was growing stronger, more even. The screams had stopped.

"Numonro hor tul ome."

Arinna's chanting stopped suddenly when Kili's eyes fluttered open, his brown irises still slightly hazy but staring up at the face above him with recognition. "Fili?" He muttered quietly, and the blond dwarf let out a sob of relief at the sound of Kili's croaky voice. He nodded, stroking one hand over Kili's head as he reassured him that he was there, and that Kili was safe now. Kili took in his words, only realising slowly that he was indeed still alive, and feeling better than he had for days. The pain that had crawled up his leg into his entire body since the arrow had first struck him had suddenly gone, and instead he only felt a dull throbbing on his thigh, where the original wound was.

He glanced down, seeing Arinna slowly pull away her trembling hands from his leg. "You… saved me," he breathed, causing her to look at him, as his wits slowly returned to him. He felt better with every passing second. "How can I ever thank you, namad?"

He had been about to say something else, though it was hard to express the things he felt right at that moment, knowing that she had saved him from certain death somehow. But his words got caught on his tongue as he saw the druid's pale face, dark circles having formed under her eyes. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, and she barely managed to give him a short nod, before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed.

"Arinna!" Fili called out fearfully as Bofur managed to catch her just before her head hit the ground.