A/N: sorry for the late update. I've had a writers block, and I felt the story was really just beginning to go downhill. Every time I began to write, I imagined most of you guys just really hating it and getting bored.

I tried!

I'm a mean writer. Don't expect their torture to end just yet… in fact, expect some added pain for our beloved L––– I will not spoil it.

Long chapter ahead! Enjoy?

"What have you decided, Thorin?" Gandalf asked impatiently. "We cannot wait here for long. We must move on, especially since you seem to be getting tracked. Going through Mirkwood is the safest way, believe it or not."

Thorin tapped his feet against the floor. He shook his head slowly. "Give me some time." He muttered. Then he stood up and, nodding, walked over to where he saw Fili and Kili chatting and sitting down on a log. They both looked up when they heard his footsteps, and smiled. He smiled in return and took a seat on the log across from them.

"Gandalf wants us to move as soon as possible." He declared, sighing. "I do not trust elves, though. I fear they will do to us what the goblins did, and hold us hostages again."

Kili shuddered visibly. "Why would they do that?" He asked slowly. "Lord Elrond was very kind, was he not? And Gandalf got herbs from them. He must have told them that they were for us?" He asked almost pleadingly.

Fili nodded. "Kili is right. They may even assist us on our journey; provide us some newer blankets and such supplies." He added. "They may even help us for our big mission."

"You two know nothing of elves." Thorin said, exhaling slowly. "They would not be that kind. Especially not Thranduil. I used to hear tales of him not even helping his own kin, including Elrond."

"You should not always believe what you hear." Kili murmured. Thorin raised an eyebrow at him, and Kili explained. "I was told very wrong things about you, and it doesn't mean they're real."

Fili patted Kili's shoulder. "That depends on who tells them to you. But you're not to blame, brother." Fili reassured. "You were under his magic, you were obligated to believe. At last you're back, and you are well again. Though I still worry for what you said about your hand."

If only you knew, Kili thought.

"What about his hand?" Thorin asked immediately. "Are not you not alright?"

Kili bit his lip. "It has been stinging a little bit, but otherwise I'm healed. I will be perfectly healthy to journey on and fight and everything, I promise." He answered, worry evident in his eyes. "I will not be a burden again, I promise. I have had much worse, as you know."

Thorin rubbed his temples. "You two should not have experienced any of this." He said in a low voice. "Out of the whole company, you're pretty much the only two who have gotten injured, whilst it should have been otherwise."

Fili stood up and wrapped an arm around his uncle. "Come on now, Uncle. We're no more special than anyone. We agreed to have those hero scars on us so we can prove to everyone that we have fought in a big adventure!" He grinned. "All this worry is making you grey-haired, you know that? Since the journey started you have developed a lot more grey streaks."

Thorin found himself smiling despite himself. He stood up and pulled Fili in for a hug, rubbing his back gently. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kili looking at them with sadness. He extended an arm, and Kili's eyes widened, confused. He stood up and hesitantly walked closer to his uncle, who pulled him into the hug. Kili buried his face in his Uncle's braid chest, inhaling his scent and enjoying the warmth.

"I have not held you like this for a while." Thorin said, smiling. "Do you miss the days when I would hold you both in my arms for hours? I think that is what really gave me strong arms."

"We go through Mirkwood." Thorin told his company reluctantly. "Make sure to stay with the company; do not drift away on your own! Do not speak too loudly, and do not attract any danger."

Several dwarves groaned, but Bilbo merely smiled. "We get to see the elves again?"

"I pray not!" Gloin answered immediately. "Have you not heard tales of Thranduil? If he sees us he will cut us into pieces and cook us alive!"

"But elves only eat green food." Bilbo murmured. He shrugged then and moved over so he could stand beside Kili and Fili, who patted him on the back each and smiled at him warmly.

"Have you all gotten your items packed?" Thorin asked. When the whole company nodded, he nodded as well. "Very well. We move now, then. It is best if we start in the morning, that way we can move through a lot before the sun falls down once more."

Gandalf walked alongside Thorin, leading the company. Behind them were Balin and Oin, then Gloin, then Dori, then Ori, then Nori then Bifur and Bofur and then Dwalin, then were Kili and Fili alongside the hobbit and finally was Bombur. Dwalin had chosen to stay behind so he can keep an eye on the youngest dwarves.

Bilbo looked at the dead forest around him, shivering. "This forest does not seem as green or… alive as I imagined." He told Fili and Kili. "It is so cold, too, that it scares me."

Fili nodded. "Aye, I agree. I have never liked forests, but this child right here always had a thing for climbing trees. Maybe he finds this forest alive." He joked, elbowing Kili. Kili forced a smile and shook his head.

"No… I always heard elven forests were much more alive than human forests, especially in Greenwood the great where the elves are woodelves." He explained. His uncle would be angry if he heard him; dwarves were not supposed to know so much about elves! "However, this really scares me. I feel like they're just ghosts of trees."

Bilbo nodded. "Exactly. The Shire seems much more alive than this." He let out a slow breath. "I miss the Shire."

Fili threw an arm around Bilbo's shoulders. "I miss it too, with all the food and the ale you had there! But don't you worry. Once we regain Erebor, we will repay you for all that you have done–––and you have done a lot, believe me."

"I do not wish to be repaid with gold." Bilbo said, shaking his head. "Gold does not–––"

However, before he could finish, Fili interrupted. "I never said we would repay you with gold. I merely meant we will have very good parties with you, provide you amazing food and drink lots of real dwarven ale together! Is that not right, Kili?"

Kili, however, had his eyes tightly shut and his fists were clenched. Fili's arm dropped off of Bilbo's shoulder and he looked to his brother worriedly. "What is it? Is it your hand again?" He asked.

Kili nodded. "Don't tell anyone, especially not Uncle." He warned, opening his eyes and taking a breath. "I––I think the magic is wearing off." He explained slowly, whispering. "Azog's magic took three days to fully heal me, and it's been a day since he left me. I think his healing magic is also wearing off, and it might take three days for all the wounds to return."

Dwalin, who heard this, turned around right away and glared at Kili. "Are you trying to tell me you did not know this from before?" He asked. "Kili, when did the pain start again?"

Kili looked away. "Right after Azog left." He admitted.

"And you hid it from us, lad?" Dwalin was exasperated. "Do you know how worried we are for you right now? If you get a scratch you should tell us right away! Are your scars returning? We should get Oin to look at them right away."

"No, Dwalin, please." Kili pleaded. "Don't tell anyone. I'm alright, I was just assuming that it was the magic. Please don't tell Uncle. I'm fine, I can fight. Don't be worried over me."

Dwalin sighed. "For now, I won't. But if the pain increases, tell me right away. You too, Fili. Tell me if he hurts. If the pain returns again, you need to get looked after. Do you hear me, Kili?"

"Yes, Dwalin." Kili replied. Dwalin ruffled his hair, and Kili smiled. "Really, I'm fine."

After another five minutes of convincing Dwalin he was fine, Dwalin finally turned around and walked ahead again. Kili let out a breath he was holding. "He does not need to be that worried." He told Fili.

"Of course he does. I'm worried too." Fili persisted, crossing his arms. "Was Dwalin not right, Bilbo?"

"He was." Bilbo agreed, not entirely sure of what had exactly happened. "If anyone's in pain they should get healed right away."

"Hear that, Kili? Even Bilbo agrees." Fili put his hands in his pockets and began humming. They were getting deeper into the forests, and it was only getting darker. "Remember when we made Uncle a crown from leaves because he hated Thranduil?" He asked Kili suddenly, laughing.

Kili nodded. "Aye, and he was so angry we were grounded for a week, and we were not allowed desserts."

"Well he cannot ground us now, and there are no desserts anyways…" Fili began, a smile playing on his lips. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Legolas, did I not ask you to return with a sufficient amount of food?" Thranduil asked slowly, anger tinting his voice. "You are a prince, you should be able to complete tasks and provide the best for your people."

"Adar, our land is dying." Legolas said desperately for the fifteenth time. "The trees are dying, the animals are dying… we cannot even find fresh green foods that have not been partially eaten by spiders."

Thranduil exhaled slowly, running a hand through his long, silky hair. "I know, son, but we have very few elflings and many of them are fading. We cannot risk this. I am not putting you to blame; I'm merely saying that as royals, we must do our best to keep our elves healthy and alive."

"Why do you refuse to ask Lord Elrond for help?" Legolas asked at last. The question had been on his mind for a very long time now.

Thranduil walked over to the window slowly. "Legolas, outsiders have a very wrong idea about us. Elrond believes we are not his allies because he fears we will betray them in their time of need." He explained. "Just like we did to Thorin."

"And why did you not save Thorin?" Legolas asked desperately. "We would have been saved all of this trouble!"

Thranduil turned around angrily. "I would not risk losing my entire army to a dragon to save a dwarf that had never trusted me to begin with."

"If you had saved him he would have trusted you and we would have been great allies––"

"Legolas, listen to me." Thranduil interrupted. "I did not want to lose my entire army. I have my reasons. When you become king, you will understand. Even Elrond would have done what I did."

"You could have at least sheltered them afterwards."

"I offered them shelter. I did. Thorin refused it because he believed me a traitor." Thranduil took a deep breath, looking at his son with a raised eyebrow. "Go on patrol again, try to find as much fresh food as you can, and provide it to the elflings."

Legolas bowed slightly. "Yes, Adar."

As they walked on, Kili and Fili kept picking up random leaves, flowers and branches off the ground. With the help of Bilbo, they were almost finished the "elven" crown they were making for their uncle.

Every once in a while, Kili would suddenly hiss as the rashes on his hand and the burns began to grow once more. However, he kept it hidden from Fili as well as he could. He could also feel the cloth on his back irritating his renewed whip wounds. He would not let it overtake him again. He was stronger than the pain.

Fili spotted a dried, orange flower on a tree branch. He motioned for Kili and Bilbo, and they both gasped when they saw it. The perfect finishing touch for the crown.

The branch was the lowest branch, so Kili would have no trouble climbing, getting the flower and coming down immediately. However, once he got to the flower, it was hard to pry off. It was stuck to some sort of… spider webs? Kili was confused. Spider webs were fragile and thin, but those were strong, stringy and very thick. He brought out his dagger and cut through the webs, freeing the flower and throwing it down to his brother.

Before Kili could get down, they heard a low whiny sound. The whole company tensed, and when Thorin saw Kili on the tree, he immediately motioned for him to come down. Kili jumped down and, at hitting the floor, another whine came through, this time louder.

The company was confused. They stood still as the noises kept coming. Then, rumbling came from behind the tree and a massive, black spider appeared.

The dwarves pulled out their weapons, and Kili moved backwards to stand beside his brother. He heard Bilbo rambling on behind him, and he shot him a swift glare.

"Thorin, wait!" Gandalf called. However before he could stop him, Thorin ran forward, sword in hand, and aiming for it. He slashed at the spider's leg, but it did not seem to be too affected.

Instead, the spider was now further angered and began aiming for Thorin with its eight legs, bringing them down hard into the ground around him. Kili took a deep breath and pulled out his bow, aiming at the creature. His hands shook both from fear and pain.

"Shoot!" He heard someone yell. Then, before he shot, the spider let out what sounded like a scream and fell, leg by leg. Thorin was stuck between its webs, and the spider was beginning to fall onto him. Fili and Kili ran to him, dragging him away as Fili cut the webs with his two daggers.

An arrow was struck into the spider's head. Thorin looked at Kili, smiling. "Thank you."

"It wasn't me…" Kili began, looking up at the trees where the arrow must have come from.

Several dwarves began patting his back and ruffling his hair, but Kili's eyes were set on the golden-haired elf that stood elegantly on a tree branch, very high up between the leaves, bow in hand. Kili smiled, and, to his surprise, the elf smiled back.

Today is a snow day, so long weekend! If you guys give me a lot of feedback, I may be inspired to update right away! Please R & R!