I TELL YOU WHAT MAN, THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL I ALMOST PUNCHED MYSELF IN THE FACE.

Disclaimer: Tolkien owns Tolkien, you own you!

You're dazed, plain and simple. The cold mountain air burns your throat when you inhale. Your chest is warm and sticky, and you feel a little weak. It's all connected, but you're just too dazed to put it all together.

Thorin rolls you over. He takes in your wound and pales slightly. You're so overwhelmed to see him alive that you touch his face to make sure he's real. The gesture leaves a red smear.

"You foolish girl! Look what you've done!" Thorin's voice shakes as he reprimands you.

"Nice way to talk to the one who just saved your life," you laugh faintly.

"Does it hurt much?"

"No, I...I think the ice is n-numbing it..."

Thorin scoops you up in his arms without another word. You're still coherent enough to get butterflies from the action. His expression is hard and determined as he runs carefully back to earthen ground. You savor every second that you get to look at him under the late noon sun, because you did it, you did it, he's alive and breathing and that's all that matters.

"I...I don't think I'm going to die," you tell him. Though the pain is dulled by the cold air and adrenaline rush, you feel like a mortal wound should hurt a lot more.

"Do not speak."

"M'kay..." You're content with just watching him.

Something momentarily obscures the sun. You squint into the sky to see the eagles swooping in, Radagast and Beorn in tow. You point up at them excitedly. Thorin tucks your arm back down. A thick laugh escapes you as the eagles terrorize the bats. There would be no dying Thorin, no sobbing Bilbo, no burial today...

"Why did you do it?" Thorin demands out of the blue.

"Because it's what I came to do. I came to save you by any means necessary. And you're alive, so I did! I did it! That's all that matters..."

"At the cost of your own life?! Had I know, I would have never brought you with me!"

You smile. You're not even insulted by the harsh words. You learned long ago that getting worked up like this is how Thorin shows he cares. You lay your head on his shoulder and relish being this close to him.

You may have blacked out, because the next thing you hear is Thorin shouting, "Heal her!"

"Penneth!*" Elrond's surprised voice says something in elvish. "What happened?"

"Azog - it doesn't matter now - you must save her!"

"Lay her here, quickly - "

You whine as you leave Thorin's warm arms for a hard table. You reach out for him to come back. A rough hand catches yours. "I am here."

"The reason," you gasp, vision blurring. "I told everyone but you - screamed it at them, he wasn't cooperating - "

"Save your strength," he murmurs from somewhere to your left. "Lord Elrond is tending to you."

"But in case - in case I don't - Fili and Balin and Bilbo told me I should tell you - "

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you." The words taste sweeter on your tongue than your favorite dessert. It's almost a tangible weight off your shoulders to admit it. "I'm in love with you, Thorin."

Elrond is murmuring in elvish nearby. The words are soothing, almost like a lullaby, so you let them put you to sleep. After all, you've done what you set out to do. You overcame every obstacle in your path and tore up the script of destiny. And for all your hard work, Thorin is safe. Thorin is alive. Thorin is...

"Ahh!" You jolt out of your thoughts like falling awake. The resulting jerk makes your chest ache. You wince and put a hand to it and feel a bandage beneath a clean shirt.

Sunlight filters through the fabric of the tent overhead, warming you pleasantly in your cot. You wonder how many days you've been out. There is no one in the tent with you, nor do you see anyone outside. You pout a bit. Thorin could've at least had the decency to sit with you after you spilled your blood and your heart to him...

You sit up slowly. Your chest protests at the action. You find the pain is not so bad if you hunch your shoulders. You stretch as much as possible and rise from the cot, intent on finding other life.

You emerge from the tent and squint in the bright sun. It seems to be early evening, so you've at least been asleep for the night. There are other tents around similar to yours; you assume they're healing tents for others injured in the battle. Healers sometimes flit from tent to tent or pause by the big fire to boil more water.

"I do not believe you've been discharged, my lady."

You jump a mile and look guiltily into Gandalf's amused expression. "Gandalf! I was just...I was..."

"Getting back to bed! Come now, off you go..."

You allow Gandalf to assist you back to your cot. In truth, the short walk had drained you; you certainly would not have been able to search out Thorin alone.

"How long has it been?" you ask.

"Several days. You have been in a deep, restorative sleep to help you heal."

"Yeah..." You rub the bandage again. "But it's all over, isn't it? And I did it. I made sure Thorin didn't die! I did it!"

"Yes, you certainly did," Gandalf chuckles. "Though he's not very happy about it."

You snort. "I don't care. He's alive, I'm alive, and Azog's dead. I call that a happy ending."

"And what of your little secret? Have you let him in on it?"

You blush slightly. "Yes, I have," you say primly. "And I'd love to have some feedback, but he isn't even here..."

"Even the most determined of Dwarves need to sleep sometime."

"Oh. Where is he sleeping?"

"I believe he retired to the mountain after much pestering."

"Alrighty, let's go." You sit up again, but Gandalf restrains you with a gentle hand on your shoulder.

"You can stay here," he says firmly. "I will fetch Thorin."

It's a restriction you can live with. You spend the waiting time gazing up at the cloth ceiling, wondering what you're going to say to him. What *could* you say? You'd only confessed your undying love for him before konking out for half a week. He'd had no time to respond - what if he doesn't feel the same? Worse, what if he was put off by your feelings? You feel nauseous at the very thought.

"Aniel."

Your head whips up to see Thorin (and a humored Gandalf) at the mouth of the tent. Thorin enters and takes the chair beside the cot. He stares at you, lost for words. You wonder if he's going to hug you or yell at you. Finally he says quietly, "You saved my life."

"Yes," you say brightly, "yes I did!"

"Don't ever do it again."

You laugh. "You're not even a little grateful?"

"I could not be when I didn't know if you would wake."

"Oh. Was it that bad?"

"Everyone said you would be fine, but I could not be sure - I could not hope until I saw for myself - and I did mean to be here when you woke - "

"It's okay. I was going to come find you, but Gandalf caught me sneaking out and sent me back to bed."

"As he should. You are not to rise again until you are discharged. Anything you need will be brought to you."

You frown. "Then who's going to babysit you while you're in the Mountain?"

Thorin chuckles softly. "Gold is the furthest thing from my mind right now."

"Wow, really?"

"You and I have unfinished business."

"Do we? Okay, fire away."

He regards you for a moment, then murmurs, "I never before thought you cruel."

"Cruel? Me? I'm downright merciful!"

"And yet you only confessed your feelings for me when you could have died."

You freeze. "Oh. That."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Er...no? I only did it how I did because I didn't know if I'd get a chance to do it later. And I didn't do it before because we all had other things to worry about. But I was going to tell you."

"How long?" he asks simply.

"I loved the thought of you a long time before we met. But I fell for you, the real you...hmm...it probably started when I threatened to kick you off the mountain and you thought my being irritated was funny."

"So long ago!" he muses. "Then I believe I finally have the answer to the question I've asked you so many times."

"Yep." You nod. "The reason I bothered joining this quest and the reason I stuck it out is because I'm in love with you."

"I did suspect some feelings when you kissed my fingers and ran away."

"I didn't run!" you say indignantly. "It was time for dinner! And you braided my hair later that night!"

"Yes..." Thorin makes a face, reliving the memory. "My nephews knew exactly what they were doing when they offered to put your hair up for you. On that note, what did you mean when you said you shouted it at everyone?"

"Oh!" You flush, embarrassed. "Uh, well, when I went to parley with Bard and Thranduil, Thranduil was being obnoxious, so I kind of let it slip to everyone in the tent..."

"So everyone else knew before I did?!"

"It was an accident!" you say defensively. "And apparently I wasn't very subtle anyway! People already suspected! You're just oblivious!"

You expect Thorin to get riled up by your words, but he merely nods pensively. "Perhaps that's true. But if I am oblivious, you are just as much so."

Your breath is stolen by the implications. You can only stare at him and hope he continues.

"I'll admit I began to favor you after the goblin tunnels, and even rely on you out of Mirkwood. It was not simply because of your usefulness, though I tried to tell myself it was only that. You are possibly the happiest, kindest person I have ever met, and your relentless cheer has taken its toll on me."

"Are you saying...you have feelings for me?" you whisper, hardly daring to hope.

"I am fond of you beyond friendship, and the thought of being parted from you pains me to the soul. I would have you continue to counsel me with your good heart. In fact, I would have you never leave my side, as I would feel lost without you."

You burst into tears - it must be a dream, you'll surely wake up any second - but each time you blink, the scene of Thorin looking both awkward and confused does not fade to black. Happiness saturates every fiber of your being, more than you've ever felt before. "You - You're in love with an elf!" you finally sob.

Thorin laughs in relief. "Yes, I am in love with an elf. My ancestors are disowning me from their graves, but I am in love with an elf, and I will fight anyone who dares say a word about it."

This only makes you cry harder. Thorin can only take you carefully into his arms and gently pat your back. "Please don't," he begs. "I am not good at this sort of thing."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so - so happy!" You try to control yourself. "I never thought in a million years - I would have been fine with you not kicking me out after knowing, but this - "

"I suppose I could do better with communicating my thoughts."

"Are we going to be together forever?"

He smiles down at you. "Until the breaking of the world."

"Oh my god. I think I'm going to pass out."

Thorin hastily replaces you on the cot. "Perhaps this is enough excitement for one day."

"No, don't go!"

"If you get too worked up, it may slow your healing - "

"I literally do not care at all!"

"I won't be gone long. Just enough for you to rest."

"I can rest in Erebor! You just say you'd be lost without me, and with your sense of direction, I can believe it!"

Thorin chuckles and shakes his head. "You - " He scoops you up with ease - " - are a troublemaker."

You shrug. "I'm living the dream right now and I'm not about to wake up."

"I suppose the elf-lord can check up on you inside. Anyway, I'm sure my room is much more comfortable than a tent."

Thorin exits the tent with you securely in his arms. You stare up at the sky, so perfectly content that your face cannot express it. The stars above twinkle down at you, and you silently worship them for giving you the one thing you never thought you'd have.

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT

Congratulations! You have successfully beaten orcs, spiders, and lack of indoor plumbing to save the line of Durin from their bullshit deaths! And you even netted yourself a rad Dwarf king to boot! You rock!

In all seriousness, I want to thank each of you for your support. This is the hardest I've worked on anything, including original stories. I'll be honest - I don't know exactly how long it'll take me to update after the next two chapters, because I do need to get in line what I want to happen, but fear not! Your adventures in Middle Earth are far from over! Now go take a rest with Thorin - you've definitely earned it!