Chapter Twelve

Arirua stood in front of the double doors, just staring at them, trying to decide what to do. The two doors were not the thing that caused her to hesitate. It was knowing who was behind the door. With a deep breath, Arirua leaned forward and gave the door two swift, soft knocks. She quickly stepped back, almost praying silently to herself that he would not be awake and that he had slept through her knocking.

But just as she began to think that maybe he truly had not heard her knocking, the room's owner opened the door.

"Arirua?" Haldir asked. She turned to glance up into his eyes.

"Can we talk?" Arirua asked softly. "It will take but a moment, I promise." Haldir nodded and began to open the door when he stopped. Arirua knew that he was staring at the pack on her back and her traveling clothes.

"You are leaving Rivendell aren't you?" he asked.

"I cannot discuss it here in the hall. Please, let me in and I shall explain everything to you." Haldir nodded and let the star into his room. The room was dark but Arirua could just make out where everything was. "It looks no different than all the times before." she said quietly to herself, though Haldir could hear her.

"It does not need to change." he told her. "But, what is this about you leaving." Arirua gingerly pulled her pack off and put it on the floor of Haldir's room. Not being able to look him in the eyes, Arirua directed her attention out the window to the dimly lit sky.

"I am leaving." Arirua told him. "We are all leaving. It has been decided without the help of the counsel."

There was silence in the room for a few moments. "Then why, may I ask, are you here?" Haldir finally asked. Arirua looked at him, slightly surprised that he had not tried to say something to stop her.

"One moment." she told him as she began to dig around in her pack. After a few moments of digging, her fingers found the leather bound item she had been looking for. "I would like you to have this. So you can remember me by." Haldir frowned at the star but he took the thing she was holding out to him. The moment he had it in his hand, his eyes widened slightly.

"Arirua, I cannot take this. This is your journal." Haldir told her. She smiled softly at him.

"No longer. It is yours now." Arirua told him, gently putting her left hand on his, grabbing a hold of the journal lightly. "You are my friend and you have the right to know my secrets. This journal is my life story, you must not trust just anyone with it. But tell the stories. Tell the elves the stories of the stars, for they must know the truth." The two paled hair beings stood there, looking at each other, as if they were communicating without words.

"Can I trust you?" she asked him softly.

"Of course." Haldir told her. He reached up and pushed a stray hair behind her ear. Arirua smiled, knowing that Haldir was picky and liked things to be straight and perfect. Normally she would have told him that she did not need fussing over but she knew now wasn't the time. "But can I trust you to stay out of trouble."

"Of course." Arirua told him. The star then glanced out the window and sighed. "I must be off. We are leaving soon, and I should not keep Thorin waiting." She quickly gathered her pack back up, not wanting Haldir to see her crying. She wiped her few tears away and turned to smile at him. "Till we meet again my friend."

"Till then." he said back. She could see that he was smiling but she could also see the tears forming in his eyes. "Be safe."

"I will be. I am in capable hands." Arirua promised him.

"Yes, I know. He cares for you very much." Arirua frowned at him but she did not have the time to question him. She quickly pulled him into one more hug.

"Farewell." she told him.

"This is not good-bye. We will see each other again." He told her as he returned her hug. "Let us just say farewell for now."

"Farewell for now." Arirua said as she let go of him and walked to the door. With one last look back, she pulled the door open and left.

Haldir looked away from the door as it slowly closed. He slowly walked to his bed near the window. As he sat down, he began to flip through the pages of the journal. As he got the end of the journal, something fell from the book and into his lap. Haldir frowned but he picked up the item that had fallen. It was a piece of delicately folded parchment. He began to pull it apart to read, he saw Arirua's delicate handwriting and a flash of silver.

Dearest Haldir,
I miss you already. You were the dearest friend any star could ask for. Without you, Sythralen, and Arwen, I do not know how I would have survived this world. All those years in the sky, I always thought that life here on Middle Earth was easy, but alas, this is not true. But I will never trade all those years for a hundred years in the sky. You have taught me a great deal. And for this, I am truly grateful. I hope that you can say the same for myself.
Now, to the matter at hand. I know that you believe that I only left you my journal as my parting gift, but you are just silly for believing such a thing. Enclosed is a clasp made from the strongest silver. I have named it Oira Vesta. As you know, it means Eternal Promise, and this is my promise to you… One day I shall return to the heavens and I shall always watch over you. You are my dearest friend, and I shall not let anything happen to you. It is yours, please, wear it to remember me and my promise.
Sincerely,
Arirua Silverstar

Haldir held up the clasp and studied it. At the top of the clasp it was thin and the two points barely meet at the top and as the two ends went down the got thicker till they reached the middle. The thick part was filled with silver lines that looked like star light beams. Haldir placed the letter and the clasp on the table beside his bed. He sighed to himself.

"Watch over her." Haldir whispered. "Protect her."

As the sun rose over the peaks of the Misty Mountains, the dwarves had already packed up their little make-shift camp and were being led by Sythralen through the abandoned tunnels of Rivendell. The Great Assassin had been quick to take charger over the company, and though they did not like taking orders from an elf, they quickly followed her orders.

"Where is Arirua?" Sythralen heard one of the dwarves call out. He was young, maybe a little too young to be on an adventure as dangerous as this one.

"She will be joining us soon Master Dwarf." Sythralen told him as she continued walking. "This is her home and she is leaving, allow her some time. She will join us shortly."

Silence soon settled over the company as they walked through the halls. As they walked, Sythralen couldn't help but drag her fingers along the slightly cracked walls. These halls were barely used now, and Arirua and herself had taken liberties with that. The halls had, in a sense, become a safe haven for the two outsiders, a shelter from the hard, cruel world on the outside. Sythralen smiled slightly as she thought of the times that the two of them had slipped from their rooms in the dead of night down to these halls. They would sit and talk for hours, comforting one another or laughing at the others ridicules mistakes.

Sythralen saw Arirua join the crowd of dwarves out of the corner of her eye as they neared the exit. The dwarves all nodded to her and continued on. Arirua quickly fell into step alongside Kili and Fili. Kili reached over and grabbed Arirua's hand and gave it a small squeeze and a smile to go along with it. Arirua glanced up at him and smiled. Kili then let go of her hand and continued on.

Suddenly, Sythralen came to a halt, causing all the dwarves to run into and trip over each other, causing them to all start cursing in Khuzdul. Sythralen quickly motioned to them to be silent.

"Continue on this path," Sythralen instructed in a hushed whisper, "and you will find yourselves free from Rivendell."

"Does Gandalf know of our departure?" Bofur asked her, having to jump up slightly so she could see him, making the ears of his funny little hat flap around like the wings of a bird.

"He has been informed." she assured him. Arirua knew that it had been Sythralen that had slipped the note under the door of the traveling wizard in the dead of night. The note had the plan all marked out for Gandalf and told him exactly what the elf and star had planned.

The dwarves quickly busied themselves with their packs, making sure they had this knick-knack or this pan. As Arirua glanced around at the company, she saw Sythralen and Bilbo talking. The star had to laugh slightly at the sight of the two of them, with Sythralen towering over the hobbit. She quickly crept closer, curious about the conversation. Seeing that Bilbo offered the Great Assassin a sort of thank you, Arirua heard the elf warrior say:

"I hope to see you again, Master Baggins." Arirua smiled as Bilbo walked away from the elf. She was happy to see that Bilbo and Sythralen had gotten along well during their short time in Rivendell. Arirua began to walk over to her friend to say farewell, when Thorin's nephews stepped in front of the tall elf.

"And thank you," Arirua heard Kili say, "for taking care of Arirua." The two princes gave the elf a small bow, much like the one they did for Arirua when they first meet her. The Great Assassin graceful dropped to her knees so she was looking eye to eye with the brothers and whispered something to them. They both nodded in agreement and walked away. Arirua couldn't help but smile at how protective and caring the two brothers had come to be, though she didn't like being treated like glass.

"Why are you helping us?" Thorin's booming voice suddenly asked. Sythralen stopped talking to Balin and looked at the King.

"Because I know what it is like to be absent from your home, stranded by forces you cannot control. I fought my way back. Who am I to deny you the right to do the same?" Arirua looked down at toes of her boots, remembering everything that she had heard the previous night. No, she has to be well; Sythralen is a fighter. She will not let the darkness take over her soul again. She has something to fight for now. The star took a deep breath, looked up, and walked over to her friend.

"I hope peace finds you, Sythralen." Arirua whispered as she pulled Sythralen into a tight embrace.

"As I hope it finds you." Sythralen told her. Arirua held back the tears that threatened to fall, knowing very well that it was her friend that needed the peace more than she.

"Please remember the warning I have spoken." Sythralen whispered to her. "It would be wise to keep it locked in your memory." Then the two young outsiders broke away from their embrace.

"I promise I shall." Arirua told her with a reassuring smile. "Please tell Arwen that I miss her so and I hope to see her again."

"I shall tell her when she and Aragorn return to Rivendell in two days time." Sythralen promised.

"Farewell Great Assassin."

"Farewell Arirua Silverstar."

Arirua then turned away from her friend and followed the dwarves down the rest of the hallway to the archway that lead to their freedom. As they walked up the mountain path, Arirua couldn't help but stop for brief moments to turn back and look at Rivendell. She had thins sinking feeling in her heart that she would never see Rivendell again. At least, not the way she was looking at it now. As they came to the last turn that would take them out of the sight of Rivendell, Arirua turned and looked one last time, letting out a sigh.

"Are you coming Arirua?" Fili asked her as he walked past her.

"Oh, uh, yes of course. I am sorry." Arirua quickly turned away from her Middle Earth home and began walking up the steep mountain pass. "Farewell Rivendell." she whispered under her breath. "Farewell."

The company continued walking until they all heard Thorin say: "Be on your guard; we are about to step over the Edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths, lead on."

"Aye." Balin said as he walked ahead.

Arirua began walking alongside Kili. As they passed Bilbo, who had stopped to look back at the barely visible Rivendell, the company heard Thorin once again.

"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." He then turned and followed Balin along the path.

"Yes, yes of course." Bilbo said as he began walking, shifting his pack slightly on his shoulders.

"Do not worry." Arirua said to Bilbo, "I believe you shall see Rivendell again. A great many years from now, during our darkest hour, you and yours shall seek refuge there. I can feel it. So do not worry."

"You are strange, do you know this Arirua?" Bilbo asked her. Kili laughed and Arirua rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course I know this Master Baggins." Arirua told him with a laugh. "I have been told this often. And you," she said, poking Kili in the side, "should not laugh at me; it is very rude."

"Of course it is." Kili said with a laugh. Arirua childishly stuck her tongue out at him and continued walking. As Kili began to fall behind her, she turned her head and said:

"You had best keep up Prince To Be, we have a great way to go still."

They traveled a great many miles, over rugged lands and rocky cliff faces. The land was rough and hard, which made it both hard to walk on and hard to sleep on but that never seemed to faze the dwarves. They talked, laughed, told stories, and sang as if everything was normal, but, Arirua knew that this was normal for them. Their high spirits kept hers high as well.

The star spent a great amount of time talking to different members of the company. Bilbo would tell her stories of his crazy Took side of the family and Gloin would tell her tales about his son Gimli. Once, he even took out a small silver locket like object that contained drawings of his wife and his son, who he was very proud of. Arirua loved listening to Nori's stories about his great time away from the rest of the family and she was always laughing at Dori and how he mothered poor Ori. Ori, she learned, was a very skilled artist after he showed her some of his art work from the travel while they sat around the campfire one night. She walked with Dwalin occasionally but words were rarely passed between the two. They preferred the peace that the other offered. Balin enjoyed telling her about the great mines of the dwarves in their glory days and about young Thorin. She did enjoy the stories about the idiotic things that Kili and Fili had done as children, which she thanked Balin greatly for. She rarely talked with Oin, but that was mostly because every time she tried, he could not hear a word he was saying. Though she did enjoy listening to him as she yammered on about nothing in particular. Bifur, Bombur, and Bofur were always there to make her laugh, along with the whole company. The jokes about Bombur's weight never seemed to end, but when Arirua stepped forward to put a stop to the jokes, Bofur told her not to worry. According to Bofur, Bombur did not care because he had his pick of the women because of his weight back home. This had caused Arirua to laugh, because she had never thought of Bombur being a lady's man, but she let the whole thing go and occasionally joined in the jokes herself. Bifur never made any sense to her, because she had never learned Khuzdul. Even when the young princes tried to translate for her, she would become so confused, in the end, she would always throw in the hat, stating that if Bifur ever needed to tell her something important, he could learn Elvish. This had caused everyone to laugh at the furious star. She never spent much time with Thorin, who always seemed to stay away from the group off by himself. Arirua never questioned it, but it did worry her a great deal.

But Arirua spent most of her time with Thorin's nephews. Fili was a great listener and Kili was always there to make her laugh. They talked at great lengths as they walked through the mountains. She had even taken to sleeping near the two brothers. One day, the fourth day of traveling, Fili and Arirua were walking side by side while Kili walked ahead with Bofur; the two of them had been walking in silence until Arirua suddenly spoke up.

"What do your braids mean?"

"Pardon?" Fili asked her, slightly taken-a-back by the question.

"The braids. They all have meanings, I know this. I just do not know what they mean." Arirua explained as she kicked a rock. The rock shot off, over the edge of the ledge and down with the water from the waterfall they were walking under.

"Well, it all depends. Certain braids mean certain things." Fili explained as he shifted his pack while he walked. "Take Thorin's braids for example; the two long thin braids on either side of his head are a sign of ownership of great property, in this case, Erebor."

"Oh." Arirua said, "So yours have a similar meaning?"

"Yes." Fili answered. "Mine show a sign of inheritance of great property. When Thorin passes away or steps down from the throne, I will be King of Erebor." Arirua nodded, very interested now.

"What about Gloin? He has such intricately braids and clasps." Arirua questioned as they continued on.

"Marriage. You have heard about his wife. Some of the clasps stand for the many seasons they have courted and been married. Some also show that he has a child that will one day be his successor." Fili explained.

"What of Balin and Dwalin? They have no braids. This is strange for dwarves is it not?"

"Ah, yes. They are a special case. Their lack of beard shows that they have dedicated their lives to serving the king and protecting him. They, in a sense, are showing other dwarves that they do not desire other things, that their focus is the safe guard of the king." Arirua stayed silent for a few minutes as they walked. Fili smiled at her silence, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "You can ask about Kili, if you wish."

"What do you…" Arirua started to ask before Fili interrupted her, laughing.

"There is no shame in it. Most of the company knows that you both care for each other and you both are either to shy or to stubborn to do anything about it. So, go ahead and ask."

"Fine then." Arirua said stubbornly, "What about Kili? He has no braids, no beard."

"Kili is different. His beard has never fully grown in and when it does, he always insisted on cutting it off because it interfered with his archery. I just believe he didn't like having a beard. And he has no braids because he has no wife, no lover, no inheritance. Kili is a free spirit."

"Oh." Was all Arirua could manage to say.

"And I can assure you, that you fully have his heart. You do not have to worry about any other." Fili told her.

"And why do you say that?" Arirua asked loudly.

"Because by dwarvish standards, Kili is not fit to court; it has been hard on him, but Kili has always been himself and there has been no dwarf woman that could change it." Fili explained. "But there is also another thing."

"And pray do tell what this other thing is." Arirua said sarcastically.

"Dwarves only love once in their life." Fili told her. The star stopped, looking the dwarf in the eyes to see if he may be lying to her. "It is true. A dwarf only loves once in his life. Many never love because they never meet the right woman. There are very few dwarf women, so the ones that do find their one are very lucky."

"Oh." Once again, the star was speechless. The two walked in silence again. Fili smiling to himself, knowing that the girl next to him was thinking about all he had said and Arirua was thinking to herself. Could he love me? she thought to herself as she walked.

"Mother, when are we going to get to the fun stuff, like sword battles and daring escapes?" Eldarion asked Arwen impatiently.

"I am getting to that, do not worry my son. Stories take time, and they are no good if you do not tell them correctly."

"Yes Mother." Eldarion answered Arwen. "But don't stop, keep going. Just try to get to the exciting part of the story quicker."

Arwen laughed but continued. "Now they traveled from many more days until they came to a dangerous part of the pass. To their left was the Misty Mountains and on their right was a sheer drop to the bottom of the mountain. The rain fell hard and heavy, drenching the dwarves from head to toe. The winds howled around them, but still they continued on."

Arirua never hated the rain. She knew rain was a good thing, but at this point in time, she was fed up with rain. She huddled under her drenched cloak, trying to get as much warmth from it as she could. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a very loud clap of thunder. By accident, the star mistakenly looked out over the edge of the pass. She immediately pushed herself against the rocky wall behind her and grabbed for Kili's hand, who stood in front of her. Kili felt her hand franticly searching for his and he reached out and grabbed Arirua's.

"It will be okay. We'll get out of this soon." Kili promised her. Arirua could only nodded, to scared to talk. The feeling of being this high on a mountain during a storm just brought back the memories of the dream. She was almost scared that the rain would turn to flames, falling to burn her new home.

Suddenly there was a noise behind them. There was a crumbling of rock, a yell of fright from the burglar of the company, and a shout from Dwalin. As Arirua turned her head, she saw Dwalin grab Bilbo by his collar just in time to save him from falling down the mountain side.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin yelled over the roaring of the winds and thunder.

"Look out!" Dwalin yelled. Everyone's heads turned to look in the direction that Dwalin was looking to see a huge rock hurtling towards them. Despite herself, Arirua let out a small scream as the rock slammed into the rock wall above them. The pieces of the rock came raining down on top of them in huge chunks.

"Look out brother!" Gloin yelled to Oin.

"Hold on!" Kili yelled, pulling Arirua close to him and to the wall.

"I am scared." the fallen star whispered softly.

"Don't be." Kili whispered to her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"This is no thunderstorm!" Balin yelled. "It's a thunderbattle! Look!" Suddenly, out of the rock face came a huge being, shaped as a man, made entirely of rock. The giant of stone reached up and began to pull on another chunk of rock next to time, intended for his next target. The company all began to huddle closer the wall, hoping that the closer to the wall they were, the safer they would be. All except Bofur, who took a step forward.

"Well bless me!" Bofur said, walking closer to the edge. "The legends are true. Giants! Stone Giants!" The giant then took the rock he had pulled from the rock face beside him and threw it in the company's general direction. Arirua grabbed a hold of Kili, hugging him for dear life. The rock flew past the company and it hit another stone giant right in the face, causing it to fall on the path they had been standing on only minutes ago.

"Take cover you fool!" Thorin yelled at Bofur. Kili, being the closest to Bofur, pulled him away from the edge just as the edge began to crumble away. Arirua let out yet another small scream as the rock near her feet began to disappear.

Suddenly the ground began to shift underneath her feet. The stone was being pulled apart and she was standing over the crack. Fili was the first to grab her, thinking quickly. Arirua could not focus on what was going on very well, in fear that she was going to die, but when her hand was ripped away from Kili's she was brought back to reality.

"Kili!" Arirua yelled over the storm. The gap was now to wide for either of them to jump across, but she could see the fear in his eyes as his brother and she were getting farther and farther away.

"Stay with Fili." he yelled to her. "Remember your promise." Arirua gripped a hold of the wall.

"Please don't let me die today Father." she whispered to herself. "Not today."

Suddenly they were moving. That was when realization hit them; this wasn't a mountain they were standing on. It was a Stone-Giant.

The Stone-Giant only got up to be headbutted back down by the Stone-Giant standing next to him. He was slammed back into the mountain side. Arirua could see that the part of the knee that Kili had been standing on hit a part of the mountain that seemed to be stable and half of the company was able to get off. The other part was with her and Fili, who were still stuck on the Stone-Giant.

The Stone-Giant immediately got back up and threw a punch at the giant that had pushed him down. The dwarves, Bilbo, and Arirua all held on for their lives as they swayed and were jostled around as the giants fought. Arirua couldn't really see the fight very well with the wind blowing all the rain into her eyes and the fact that she was too scared to open them, she never knew how the Stone-Giant, whose knee they were holding on to for dear life fell, but when he did, he fell right near the company. Arirua could hear shouts and yells from the ones who were standing on safe ground telling them to jump.

"Come on lass. If you don't make it out of this, Kili is never gonna find a girl." Fili told her.

"This is no time for jokes." she yelled back at him.

Suddenly they were shooting forward. Arirua opened her eyes to see that they were headed straight towards the cliffside. I am going to die. Arirua thought, as her, Fili, and half of the members of the company were smashed into the side of the cliffside.

But they never touched it. Arirua looked up to see the part above them smash into the rock but none of the rocks seemed to hit them. As everyone fell off, Arirua could hear a small voice in her head say: Just this one time. Never again.

Thank you Father. "Thank you so much." she whispered.

The Stone-Giant fell away as if it had never been there and within moments, the rest of the company surrounded them.

"Arirua?! Fili?!" she heard Kili yelling.

"Over here!" Fili yelled. Kili somehow made his way over to us, through the crowd of dwarves trying to help Bombur and all the others up.

"Brother!" Kili said, pulling his brother into a hug. "You cannot do stuff like that. Things like that make me wish I had paid more attention to things about being King." The brothers laughed.

"Don't worry. You don't have to worry about being King yet." Kili then turned and looked at Arirua.

"You promised you wouldn't get into anymore trouble." Kili told her.

"I apologize." Arirua said. "But I will say that it was your brother who grabbed my arm." Kili cut her off by pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Never again."

"Never."

"Good." Arirua looked into Kili's eyes, seeing all the emotion behind the browns. He cared. He truly cared about her wellbeing. He cared about her. And she cared about him. More than she had ever cared about anyone in her life.

As they stood there together, everything else faded around Arirua. Slowly she leaned down towards Kili. A million things ran through her mind as she did this. What was this feeling? Could it be love? Were stars capable of loving as one needed to be loved?

But these thoughts all disappeared once Kili's lips captured hers. The kiss was soft and gentle and sweet. The stars had always told her that kissing lacked love and compassion, but all she felt was love and compassion. As they kissed, Arirua could feel the stubble on his chin and she could smell the deep woodsy smell he had that she immediately loved. His lips were soft and as they kissed Arirua could think of nothing but this moment.

As suddenly as it started, the kiss ended, having been interrupted by Bofur.

"Where's Bilbo?" he yelled, looking around wildly. "Where's the Hobbit?"

"There!" Ori said. Arirua, still slightly dazed from the kiss, could see two small hands holding on to the rocks as the person who owned the hands was handing off the cliff.

"Get him!" Dwalin yelled.

All the dwarves rushed to his aid, yelling for him to grab their hand. Thorin, thinking quickly, hoisted himself down onto a jettison on the wall. He grabbed a hold of Bilbo's arm and hoisted him up. Celebrating almost began but then Thorin slipped, the rock being very wet from the rain. Dwalin quickly grabbed Thorin's outstretched hand and with much grunting and strength, pulled him up back onto the ledge.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin said as he caught his breath.

"He's been lost," Thorin said, looking at Bilbo, "ever sense he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us." The company stood in silence just looking at the soon to be King Under the Mountain. It was Arirua who spoke up.

"You have no right to say that!"

"Do not try to argue…"

"No! You are wrong. Bilbo has been a great help to us all." Arirua was now furious. "You do not know what it is like to be surrounded by things you do not understand. Yes, your home was taken, but you found refuge with other dwarves. Bilbo is alone, and I know how that feels. I will not stand by and listen to you say such things about Master Baggins. It is wrong, and you know it. You have made mistakes as well. I have and I know Bilbo has. So leave him be when he makes his. He is not your people. Hobbits love their homes, and this is the first time he has left his. That was a very brave thing. Leave him be Thorin."

Thorin looked at Arirua but he didn't say anything. He just turned away and began walking away from them. "Dwalin!" they heard Thorin yell out. Thorin motioned Dwalin into a small cave that was a few steps away from where Kili, Fili, and Arirua had previously been standing.

"Looks safe." Dwalin said.

"Search the back." Thorin ordered. "Caves in the mountain are seldom unoccupied." Dwalin immediately began to search the cave as the others began to enter it.

"There's nothin' here." Dwalin announced. Shoulders all around relaxed, all thinking about having a safe place to stay the night.

"Right then, let's get a fire started." Gloin said, dropping some wood he had been carrying in his pack on the ground.

"No. No fires. Not in this place." Thorin told him. "Get some sleep." he instructed. "We start at first light." Everyone nodded and began to unpack the basic things they would need.

Arirua pulled out her sleeping things out of her bag and walked over the where Kili and Fili were setting up their things.

"May I?" she asked gingerly.

"Of course." Kili said with a smile. Arirua felt a blush cross her checks as she laid out her things. Once she laid down next to Kili, she felt a gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach. Concern must have crossed her, because Kili said:

"What's wrong?"

"I am not sure, but I have a bad feeling something is going to happen." Arirua said. "I do not like it here. There is something dank and evil about this place."

"Everything is fine." Kili told her, taking her hand and running his fingers over her knuckles.

"Promise?" she asked softly, feeling sleep's pull in the back of her mind. He kissed her knuckles and smiled.

"Promise." he told her. "Now get some rest."

Arirua nodded, letting her eyes begin to close. All she needed was a good night's rest. As soon as her eyes were closed, sleep whiskered her away to the land of dreams were it showed her visions of home and of her new found love.

I'M BACK! Wow, I've been gone for so long and I apologize for being gone for as long as I have been. I've been very busy with a show I was apart of and now I'm in another. BUT on top of it all, I've had finals up until a few days ago, but school is done for the next few months. BUT I'M BACK! And I promise that I'm going to be updating more frequently.

I want to thank all the readers that have stuck with me. And the ones who have, here's an extra long chapter. Don't forget to leave comments and ask questions. I love questions. :D I hope you enjoy :D

RogueStarz/ZellaStormz