Weeew, hello there! We've got a new chapter on our hands and it's quite long and I hope you're going to like it :D

Doodler100: You burned his coat! Why would you do that, he needs that thing, what's the poor guy gonna do now when it gets cold? xD And he didn't exactly gawk at Tarya naked, he didn't see anything, since she was covered by his coat. She'd actually thought of that :D

DwarvenWarrior: Yeah, unfortunately they're both a bit slow on the feelings-front... Buuut Kili's having a little realization in this chapter so you can hope that things are going to get moving a bit faster from now on :D At least if he gets his shit together xD I won't tell you when they're gonna get together but it won't take so much longer, I tell you that :D I'm really happy to hear that you liked the last chapter so much because it's one of my favorites as well :)

happypills27: Haha, I'm glad you liked it :D Let's see when they finally get it together and kiss already :D

Teshka: Kilarya ftw :D I'm glad you liked it! And I have some more Kilarya in this chapter for you :D

TheQueenOfErynLagasryn: Happy to hear you like the story! I hope it stays that way! :)

Thanks for your reviews guys! Also to DJ Sparkles, ZabuzasGirl, kaia and Angel Bells! :)

And again, thanks to the people who followed and favourited! It is highly appreciated!

Now read and leave me a review, I'd love to hear from you guys! :D

As Tarya – now fully dressed, with her bag on her back and Kili's coat in her right hand – stepped out of the door, feeling it fall close behind her with one of its usual thuds, all gazes fell on her and she averted her eyes to the floor, feeling a bit embarrassed by her companions' staring.

"Tarya!" Bofur called out cheerfully, causing her to raise her head and look at him as she walked down the stairs of the front porch. The dwarf with the big brown moustache was sitting on a light brown pony, sending her one of his trademark bright smiles. "Glad you decided to go on with us as we attempt to shove a bit of dwarfish iron up Smaug's backside!"

Tarya looked at the hatted dwarf for a moment with both her eyebrows rising in bafflement, as some of the others laughed while the rest shot Bofur strange looks or just shook their heads quietly to themselves. Tarya chuckled slightly to herself.

"Wouldn't want to miss it for the world," the Amarok then grinned and Bofur returned the gesture as she walked past him until she reached Kili who was standing beside a grey pony together with his brother, his uncle, Gandalf and Beorn. The skin-changer shot her a look with one eyebrow raised as she came to a halt next to them, handing Kili his coat quickly, which he took with a small smile.

"I see you've changed your mind," Beorn grumbled, making her look up at him.

"I have," Tarya replied decidedly and Beorn sighed silently, giving her a thoughtful look before he nodded and turned back to the others again.

"I have given you all the help I can," the skin-changer exclaimed. "The food I gave you will last long if you ration it with care and it will stay good for a long time. You will find streams and springs along the road, so you do not have to carry any water for now but your way through Mirkwood is dark and dangerous. Water is not easy to find there, nor food, and the wild things in that forest are dark, queer and savage. You will need the water-skins I gave you and the bows and arrows. Although I doubt anything you will find in Mirkwood will be good to eat or drink."

Tarya listened to the bear-man worriedly, her spirit sinking a bit at Beorn's grave words and as she looked around, she saw that also the others' faces were painted with seriousness now rather than the easy smiles that they'd had on them before. Tarya knew that Mirkwood was a dark place and the prospect of travelling through it was not one that she was particularly looking forward to. She only hoped that they would make it through without encountering problems. But even if they managed to avoid danger – which they seemed to attract almost magically – there was still a dragon waiting at the end of this journey and an orc troop on their heels. Tarya suppressed a sigh as she pushed these thoughts aside and returned her attention to Beorn.

"There is one stream there that I know of that flows through the forest," he continued earnestly. "Black and strong it crosses the path. You must neither drink of it, nor bathe in it, for it carries enchantment that causes great drowsiness and forgetfulness." He shortly looked around, his gaze resting on the bows and arrows he had given the dwarves and which were now strapped to their backs. Even Tarya had received one, although she really couldn't handle it at all. "I doubt that you will shoot anything wholesome without straying from the path…" Beorn said. "And that you mustnot do for any reason. Never stray from the path!"

As Tarya looked up, she saw Beorn's gaze resting heavily on her, the skin-changer looking at her thoughtfully. "I'm afraid that is all the advice I can give you. Beyond the forest gate, you will have to depend on your own courage and luck. I must ask you to send back my ponies and horse once you reach the forest gate but I wish you all good luck and speed. And know that my house is open to you if you ever decide to come back this way again."

The dwarves thanked Beorn and said goodbye with a lot of 'at your service' and many bows, which the skin-changer accepted a lot less grumpily than when they had arrived here. Tarya stepped up to him as the rest of the dwarves that were not yet seated on their ponies went to mount their steeds and bid him farewell.

"You will always be welcome here, Tarya, daughter of the Amarok," Beorn muttered, bending down to put one large hand heavily on her shoulder. "I do hope you find what you are looking for."

Tarya frowned at the bear man as he shortly averted his gaze to something behind her but she didn't have enough time to follow his gaze before he had brought it back to her. "Thank you," she answered quietly, not quite sure of what to reply, "Beorn, master of the wide wooden halls, friend of wolves."

Beorn gave her a smile then that she hadn't seen on him before, an almost gentle one that didn't quite fit his rough features but was nice nonetheless. He retired his hand, standing back upright just as Kili called out for her.

"Until next we meet," Tarya smiled brightly at the huge man who nodded at her, before she turned around and walked up to the grey mare – which went by the name of Dusty – that Kili was sitting on by now. She quickly turned around once more as she heard loud howling from behind her and as she did so, her gaze fell upon Arvo and Kol, the two dogs standing next to their master and crying out their farewell to her. Tarya smiled broadly towards them, walking backwards and waving to them until she came to a halt next to Kili's pony, turning around and not quite knowing what to do now.

Kili grabbed hold of the reigns as he looked down at his black-haired friend who was standing awkwardly beside his pony, looking around almost nervously.

"What is it?" he asked her with a slight frown. Tarya looked up at him, looking a little bashful in his opinion.

"I can't ride," she said quietly and Kili's mouth opened slightly in understanding. Of course, she didn't know how to ride; she'd never even sat on a pony before. The only time she had been on a horse had been when she had been brought into Rivendell by the elves and she had been unconscious and a wolf then, which were both not really helpful to gain experience.

"You ride with Kili," a deep voice announced and Kili, as well as Tarya, turned their heads to see Thorin sitting on his dark brown steed behind Tarya. Kili witnessed a lingering eye contact between Thorin and her, his uncle inclining his head slightly at the Amarok who just looked at him silently for a moment before she nodded shortly and turned back towards him with a little anticipation in her golden eyes that were shimmering brightly with the morning sun reflecting in them. Kili quickly dismounted Dusty again as Thorin moved past them, grabbing Tarya's arm gently and pulling her forward until she was standing right beside the grey pony, the young Durin prince coming to stand behind her.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"For wha-aah!"

Kili had grabbed her by the hips, lifting her up onto the pony in one powerful move, although she really was light enough so that he didn't need much strength to get her up. He chuckled when she quickly gripped the front part of the saddle, her eyes wide as she looked down on him, trying and failing to give him an angry glare. Luckily, Dusty was quite a relaxed mare and didn't mind the nervous Amarok on her back that tried to get a better hold of something in order to keep her balance.

Kili then swiftly swung himself onto the pony so that he was seated behind Tarya, before he brought both arms up and around her sides to grab the reigns, effectively assuring that she wouldn't fall off.

He made Dusty move forward then, following the others that had already started to leave for the great hedge that marked the end of Beorn's lands.

As they started out on the road, Kili's thoughts travelled back to the moment he had shared with Tarya this morning. He hadn't quite believed Fili when he'd said that he would be the only one able to convince her to stay but apparently his older brother had been right. And Kili knew that it wasn't just because of this strange commitment phenomenon but because Tarya trusted him. He couldn't believe his eyes when she'd transformed before him, his mind telling him that he should feel weird about this, that it was abnormal but somehow it had only made her even more beautiful in Kili's eyes. Tarya had an extraordinary gift and she had shared it with him.

Kili knew that he was the only person to have ever seen her like this and for some reason he wanted it to stay like that. Tarya had practically exposed herself to him with transforming from the massive black wolf to the small woman he liked so much right before his eyes and ever since she'd done it, his heart hadn't stopped thumping hardly in his chest. There was a strange fluttery feeling that felt like it was running through his very flesh and bones and there was warmth expanding from his chest into his whole body every time he so much as looked at the Amarok. It was very confusing and having her sit so close in front of him as they rode wasn't really helping to analyse what it was all about.

Additionally, if it hadn't been for his coat covering her this morning, Kili would have seen parts of her body that had him blushing slightly just at the thought. He had never actually thought about what Tarya looked like underneath her clothes before but now, suddenly, he had become more aware of the curves that her body possessed, to her body as a whole, actually. It was as if a thread had snapped within him that had been knotty for a very long time.

He had liked the feeling of her hand in his and had found that he didn't actually want to let her go once he'd grabbed hold of it. He had pulled her closer to himself when they had passed their companions, something he'd done without actually thinking about it, albeit now he realized that he'd wanted to protect her from their gazes. Sure, she'd been nicely covered with his cloak but still there had been the feeling that none of them were supposed to see her like this and that he was the one who ought to ensure that they didn't.

Kili was ripped out of his thoughts when Fili – who was riding to their right – spoke up.

"You know, I have never seen anyone looking so uncomfortable on a pony before," the blonde dwarf stated with a grin, receiving a glare from the Amarok, although her position didn't change in the slightest, her every muscle staying strained. Tarya was still clutching to the front of the saddle, her body completely stiff, even as they had now been on the road for a while.

"Truly, even Bilbo made a better first impression on his pony when we first left the Shire," Bofur provided from their left side. "And he made a horrible impression."

Kili heard Tarya sigh silently in front of him as the others chuckled quietly but she stubbornly refused to relax even one muscle and Kili shook his head slightly. There was no way she wouldn't feel each of her muscles aching tonight if she didn't start to relax soon.

"I don't care," the Amarok grumbled. "This is completely foreign to me. It feels horribly weird and uncomfortable and I feel like I'm going to fall off as soon as I move."

"You won't fall," Kili answered, eyeing the space left on the saddle between her back and his front. "But you need to relax. It will be more comfortable if you do."

"I can't," she said decidedly and the young dwarf rolled his eyes slightly, catching his brother's amused gaze over her head and deciding that if she didn't want to listen, he would just make her relax on his terms.

Tarya flinched violently when Kili suddenly let go of the reigns with one hand, wrapping his left arm around her waist instead. He pulled her backwards forcefully over the small bit on the saddle between them until her back was pressed flush against his chest.

"Let go of the saddle," he mumbled into her ear, her breath almost hitching in her throat at the deep tone of his voice. What was he doing? She was about to protest, saying that she would fall to the floor if she did so but he cut her off before she could even start. "You won't fall off. I've got you," he muttered and she felt his warm breath brushing against her cheek as he spoke, at the same time putting a bit more pressure on his grip around her body to emphasize his words. A strange feeling filled her at this that she couldn't decipher nor describe properly and she reluctantly let go of the front of the saddle. In a lack of where to put her arms instead, she grabbed the arm that was encircling her middle, it being strong enough to provide her with the same feeling of balance.

"Good," she heard Kili say next to her ear, his voice sounding a bit deeper than usual, and she could practically hear the satisfied smile in it. "Now relax."

It took her a few moments but eventually, she managed to relax her muscles as much as possible, leaning back slightly against her friend's chest, before he squeezed her middle slightly, acknowledging her actions. She felt Kili's thumb trail small calming patterns over her tunic where his hand rested and smiled slightly.

"Now that looks cosy," Fili chuckled as Kili shuffled slightly behind her to get into a more comfortable position, all the while keeping a solid hold of her.

"Well," Bofur spoke up with a grin. "Now we can say that we have actually seen a wolf riding a pony."

Tarya laughed slightly at that and felt Kili's chest rumble with his chuckle against her back but as she turned her head, her laugh slowly died down when she saw Fili who was smiling as well but at the same time looking at her strangely, making her wonder what the blonde dwarf was thinking about. The thoughtful expression disappeared from his face when he blinked at her, sending her a short wink before he turned to look forward again and Tarya wondered whether the hiding of facial expressions behind a mask of cheerful neutrality was a special talent of the Durin brothers, for she had seen Kili do the exact same thing.

The four of them soon got caught up in a light-hearted conversation then that progressed for a long time and Tarya had to admit that she was more comfortable in her new position, slowly getting used to sitting on a horseback.

Even so, she couldn't feel her bum anymore once they reached a place to camp for the night.

Kili helped her down from the pony and as she slowly made her way over to where they were setting up camp, she met Bilbo's gaze. The hobbit was unpacking some flour from his backpack to give it to Bombur who needed it to make dinner, when she sat down next to him with a low groan.

"Don't worry, it gets better," Bilbo smiled as she rubbed her sore legs. "I couldn't feel my legs for a week after I was forced onto a pony at the beginning of this quest."

Tarya shot him an incredulous look. "A week?!" she called out, drawing a few curious gazes her way.

"Maybe you'll adapt quicker than me," Bilbo hurriedly tried to cheer her up but to no avail. She let herself fall backwards and stared up to the darkening sky with a pained expression.

"She won't have a week, we'll reach Mirkwood in a few days and then go on without the ponies," Bofur said, taking a seat beside her.

"Thank the gods," Tarya mumbled, earning a snicker from the hatted dwarf. She sighed silently to herself, not sure whether she wouldn't rather spend more time on a pony than entering Mirkwood so soon.

Fili was assigned first watch that night and as everybody else went to sleep, he found himself a nice spot near the fire for the time being. Soon, snores started to fill the camp, some light, some quite loud, and Fili caught himself thinking about the journey ahead of them. He wondered what was waiting for them in Mirkwood, for he'd heard stories of that forest that didn't exactly make him look forward to entering it. Fili knew that passing the forest would be the most dangerous part of their journey, which seemed to be a rather dark prospect, since their journey so far had not exactly been a walk in the park, either. They'd almost been roasted by trolls, been hunted down by orcs, almost crushed to their deaths by stone giants, got collared by goblins and they'd had a rather nasty encounter with orcs once more afterwards that most likely were still on their heels. But they'd come out of it more or less unhurt and Fili sure hoped that luck would remain with them.

His gaze wandered over to where the Amarok was sleeping peacefully next to his little brother. Kili had turned towards her in his sleep while Tarya was lying on her stomach, her face turned towards him. Fili shook his head slightly as he put another branch into the fire to keep it going nicely. He wondered whether these two would get it together before the end of the journey, really.

He didn't know whether Kili was simply clueless or rather in denial of his own feelings towards the girl, although he reckoned it was a bit of both. Fili knew his brother better than anyone else in Middle-Earth and he could read him like an open book. His little brother had always liked Tarya and Fili was sure that there had been deeper feelings from the moment he'd first seen her human form in Rivendell; Kili had just not realized it. But ever since then, there had sometimes been a very particular expression on Kili's face when he'd looked at the Amarok. An expression that Fili knew because he remembered it from when he was little. It was the same expression their father used to have on his bearded face when he'd looked at their mother. And Fili knew for a fact that their mother and father had been each other's One.

The blonde dwarf sighed slightly and looked up to the stars, realizing that his shift was almost over and that he would have to wake the very person his thoughts had been circling in a few minutes. With another sigh, he put two more branches into the flames before he got up and walked over to the sleeping Kili.

The brunette dwarf woke slowly and only when Fili nudged his shoulder rather harshly, he finally opened his eyes completely.

"Your turn, sleepyhead," Fili muttered, helping his brother to his feet with one hand. Kili yawned slightly.

"Your waking methods are as affectionate as ever, brother," Kili grumbled, rubbing his shoulder slightly. Fili chuckled quietly.

"You know you like it."

Kili rolled his eyes at the blonde dwarf and shortly glanced down at the sleeping Amarok to his feet, unconsciously making sure that she was safe and well, before walking over to the fire. Fili, having noticed the gesture, watched him before he decided that his sleep could wait for a little while longer. Kili looked up questioningly as he sat down next to him. "Are you not going to sleep?"

"In a minute," Fili replied, not quite sure whether what he was about to do was a good idea but deciding to do it anyway. Kili just shot him a questioning look, the fire causing the shadows to dance on his face. Fili glanced over to Tarya who was still lying in the same position as before. "You're quite protective of her."

Kili followed his brother's gaze for a moment before he looked back into the flames, shrugging slightly. "She trusts me. I'm only trying to look out for her," he replied rather vaguely. Fili raised his eyebrows as Kili looked at him and the younger dwarf exhaled a long breath.

"She trusts me," Kili repeated quietly.

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," Fili answered and Kili shook his head slightly, staring into the fire, his expression hardening somewhat.

"It's not, I just… I saw her transform. She trusted me enough to transform in front of me, Fee."

The elder's eyebrows rose in surprise and understanding. That indeed seemed like a big step in their relationship. Fili could imagine that Tarya wouldn't change in front of just any person. But that still didn't explain the hard look on Kili's face.

"And that's bad because…?"

Kili sighed heavily. "It's not bad, it's just... I –" he snorted slightly. He'd had his thoughts swivel around this very topic over and over again the whole day and hadn't gotten to an explanation. There was no way he'd find one now. "Never mind."

But Fili's interest was definitely piqued now. His brother seemed to be deeply troubled by something and the blonde dwarf was determined to get it out of him. And as if Kili knew that, he turned his head towards him with another small sigh. Fili raised his eyebrows in question, seeing uncertainty flicker in his little brother's eyes. It was only a short moment later that Kili lowered his gaze and spoke up again, this time quieter, almost as if he was ashamed of what he was about to say. But if he couldn't talk to Fili about it, then whom could he ever?

"I feel strange," Kili admitted and upon an inquiring look of his brother, he continued. "Ever since she's changed, there's this… feeling… inside me."

"What feeling?" Fili asked curiously.

"It feels as if my whole body was on fire," Kili mumbled quickly, barely audible. "My heart beats as if it wanted to jump out of my very chest each time I so much as look at her and…" he trailed off and Fili's brows furrowed as he leaned forward to get a better look at his brother's face. The brunette was looking back at him from underneath his lashes, seeming embarrassed by what he'd just said.

"And?"

"And I don't know what to do about it," Kili muttered quietly. Fili didn't know what to say or how to respond to his brother's confession. He had more than just a suspicion what was causing his brother to feel the way he did, of course, but he was quite sure that Kili didn't want to hear about that theory if the way he was glaring at the campfire was anything to go by. Fili still gave it a try.

"You know, I've heard people say things like that when they're in – " he started casually, only to be interrupted immediately by his younger brother.

"You know that's impossible," Kili huffed, though not raising his gaze from the flames. The thought, of course, had entered his mind a while ago but was in itself utterly ridiculous. That couldn't be it.

"Dwarves can't…" he hesitated for a second, inhaling slightly. "Dwarves can't fall in love with non-dwarves."

Two days of being on the road later, the company was as merry as they had been when they'd first left the Shire and for Kili it didn't even really feel like the dangerous quest they were on at the moment. The late summer weather provided them with so much warmth and sunshine, dipping their surroundings' greens into warm light before they would soon turn into brown, red and orange tones when autumn would claim the lands, that everything just looked beautiful.

Even the evenings were quite warm and they had enough light until late so that Kili had taken on the opportunity to teach Tarya how to use the bow Beorn had given her. Thorin had agreed that there was no use in her having it if she couldn't handle it. She was not very good at it, though, Kili had to admit. There was nothing of the naturalness with which she wielded her daggers but Kili was determined to get her to at least be able to shoot an arrow and hit something with it. Tarya was easily frustrated though and therefore made a rather difficult student.

"This is ridiculous," he heard her growl and as he turned his head, he saw her dropping her arms with a huff. Kili shot his friend a pointed look from the fallen tree trunk he had been sitting on for the last twenty minutes. Tarya was standing in the middle of the small clearing they were using as a practice ground, looking at him with an exasperated expression on her pretty face.

"It's not ridiculous," Kili replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "You need to have the right position before you shoot or you'll never actually hit your target."

"How could I possibly hit something if you don't even give me my arrows to use?" she asked angrily, kicking slightly at a few pebbles on the ground.

"I'll give you your arrows when you have the right stance and until then the twig will do. Because last time you had an arrow, you missed the target by the-gods-know-how-much and almost hit Dwalin in the leg," the young dwarf replied light-heartedly, leaning forward on the tree trunk, as he glanced at the quiver filled with arrows that was lying to his feet on the forest floor. When he looked back up, Tarya was practically glaring at him and the dwarf felt a small smile tugging on his lips.

"That wasn't intentional," she huffed.

"Which is exactly the point," Kili said, getting up and walking over to her. "Had you actually been aiming at his leg, I wouldn't be bothering you like this. I mean, I would be quite concerned that you tried to cripple one of us but – "

"You've made your point," Tarya grumbled, turning away from him and Kili chuckled quietly to himself.

"Show me your stance again," he ordered then, sobering up, and as she did so, he slightly shook his head as he stepped up behind her. The only things in the right position were her feet. Kili slowly stepped closer, their bodies almost touching as he did so. "You need to turn your upper body a little more, you're way too tense, your right arm is too high up and you're gripping the bow too tightly."

He heard her growl, even though she'd obviously tried to suppress it, for it came out a bit muffled. Nevertheless, she tried to adjust her position to his comments. Kili pressed one hand to the small of her back to keep her rightly positioned as she slightly turned her torso towards him. Then she lowered her right arm and her grip on the bow lightened ever so slightly. Kili nodded to himself. "Good. Now relax."

"That's the second time you said that to me in a span of three days," she muttered, slightly irritated, he could tell, but he still felt the tension in her back lessen beneath his hand.

"And both times you listened," he grinned, murmuring into her ear before he took a step back to look at her. "That's it. Now hold that position for a moment and you can try it with an arrow again."

Kili turned around, went to pick up the quiver from the floor and returned to her just a few seconds later. He could already see the tension in her arm from keeping the bowstring drawn but she didn't show a sign of strain on her face.

"There you go," he muttered, handing her an arrow. She took it with a sceptic look, before she threw the twig he'd forced her to use away, nocking the arrow as he gave her a little nod. "Point towards that tree and draw." Tarya didn't respond and he watched her comply with his order, her body settling into the position she'd been holding just moments ago, much more accurate this time.

Kili stepped closer again, putting one hand on her left hip, the other coming up to adjust her right elbow a little bit. He couldn't deny that he was finding far too much pleasure in having so much physical contact with her and for a moment, he got distracted when his nose grazed her hair and an almost sweet earthy scent filled his nose.

His heart gave a hard thump in his chest that had Kili almost cursing under his breath. Could that bloody thing not just mind its own business for a moment?

The young dwarf felt the Amarok slightly turn her head towards him, a questioning look on her face and he quickly cleared his throat, pushing his thoughts into a dark corner of his mind. "Good, good. Now release. And try not to hurt yourself or anyone else."

Tarya muttered something under her breath that Kili couldn't make out but he was quite sure it had been nothing nice. He nudged her slightly in the ribs and she snorted slightly at him, although not angrily, before she released the arrow. It hit the tree with a satisfying thud and as Tarya lowered her arms, he quickly took a step back.

"Good," he acknowledged. "Another one."

Tarya felt her arms ache slightly when they finally stepped through the bushes to where they had set up camp that night. It made her happy that she'd finally made some progress with the bow thanks to Kili but still, she was quite grateful that it had become too dark to keep training. Her legs already hurt from the continuous riding; she didn't need her arms to end up the same way.
And she needed to get some space between herself and the brunette dwarf, if she was to be honest. Ever since they'd left Beorn's, she felt strange around him and she couldn't tell why for the life of her. Every time he touched her, her stomach tightened and each time he spoke to her, there was this strange fluttering feeling that invaded her body. By the gods, sometimes even a look from Kili was enough, she thought gruffly. She had no idea what her body was trying to tell her but she sure didn't like it.

The dwarves looked up as the both of them walked up to Bombur to collect their dinner.

"Went better this time I take it?" Nori asked, looking up from his plate.

"There were no further assaults on any of my limbs, so I'd go with a yes," Dwalin grumbled from beside Thorin and Tarya shot him an unnerved look.

"I apologized, didn't I?"

Dwalin grunted and slightly raised one eyebrow at her before he just shrugged, digging his fork back into his food.

"It did go better, though," Kili provided from her side, before giving her a small smile as he sat down. Tarya made her way over to Bilbo, choosing to sit beside the hobbit that evening. "It went well."

"Good," Thorin said, causing her to look at him across the fire for a moment, meeting his gaze. They hadn't actually talked much since the incident at Beorn's house and the dwarf-king hadn't apologized. That wasn't really in his nature, Tarya knew by now. But there was some sort of silent agreement between them that had been set up when she decided to stay with them. She would help them as best she could and he accepted that there was nothing more to it than that. She lowered her gaze to the plate on her lap and stuffed her mouth, not caring that Bilbo shot her a little disgusted look from where he was sitting next to her.

"You really have no manners," the hobbit accused, watching her stuffing half of a large potato in her mouth. "Ladies shouldn't eat like that."

"Thankfully, I'm a wolf and not a lady, Bilbo," Tarya replied grinningly, making some of the others chuckle while the hobbit shook his head with a sigh. "Why doesn't a lady eat like that, anyway? How does a lady eat, then?"

"Well," Bilbo huffed slightly, before he drew himself up to sit a bit straighter. Tarya shot him a sideways glance. "A woman shouldn't stuff her mouth like that. Ladies shouldn't speak with their mouths full of food and they certainly shouldn't eat with their fingers. In fact, no one should, female or male."

Tarya shot the hobbit a sheepish grin as she popped the sausage in her mouth, licking her fingers. Fili – who was sitting a bit further away next to his brother – chuckled heartily as Bilbo raised his eyebrows at her, obviously displeased with what he saw.

"And why not?" she asked once she'd swallowed, deliberately trying to at least comply with one of his rules.

"Well, for one thing, it's not a very attractive thing to do," the hobbit said and Tarya frowned slightly.

"Attractive?" she asked and raised her eyebrows as Bilbo suddenly became a little flustered, redirecting his gaze to the food in his lap.

"Aye, you won't find a man if you have worse table manners than him, lass," Gloin chuckled amusedly.

"Well, you'd know. You're married, aren't you? How are your wife's table manners then, Gloin?" Bofur asked, earning an irritated glance from the red-haired dwarf as he grinned at him.

"They are impeccable!"

"No, they're not," Oin laughed from his brother's side. "Her eating manners are as bad as yours, brother, you're just not bothered by it."

Gloin's expression became a little harder at that and he shot his brother an angry look. "Rimma's manners are immaculate!" the burly dwarf exclaimed, puffing out his chest, obviously determined to defend his wife's honour even if it was just about the way she ate.

Tarya exchanged a small glance with Gandalf who just watched the scene before him with an amused twinkle in his grey-blue eyes. The wizard winked at her when he saw her looking at him and Tarya smiled slightly before she directed her gaze back to Bilbo as he muttered something under his breath. Luckily, since her transformation at Beorn's, her senses were working better and her ear was accurate enough to have heard the hobbit's words as clearly as if he'd exclaimed it out loud.

"It would certainly bother me," the small man with the brown curly hair had said and Balin who was sitting to the hobbit's other side had apparently been close enough to hear it as well, for he gave Bilbo a mild look.

"Not if she were your One, it wouldn't, lad," the old dwarf said and Bilbo looked up at him with a confused look. Tarya was staring at the old warrior, as well.

"His One?" the Amarok asked uncomprehendingly, shooting a confused glance to Gloin who was looking rather smug. Fili coughed slightly, causing her to look at him across the fire but his gaze was directed at his younger brother. But Kili was keeping his gaze on his food, and so she looked back to Balin who smiled gently at her.

"Aye, lass," the old warrior said. "Dwarven women are rather scarce, you might need to know. And marriage among our kin is therefore not as common as it is for the race of Men, for example. Many of us never get married, either because we don't find a woman or because we are already married to our craft, you could say."

Tarya nodded slightly, a small frown on her face as she concentrated on Balin's words. The camp had gotten considerably quieter ever since he'd started talking but the Amarok didn't really notice that. "And what is it with 'the One', then?" she asked. To her surprise it was Fili who answered.

"A dwarf can find his One, although it's quite seldom, since we don't have as many women. Your One is the one you were made for, your soul mate."

"Your soul mate?" Bilbo asked, obviously intrigued as well by the dwarves' tale. Fili nodded. "And… what happens when you find them?"

"You fall in love with them," the blonde prince stated the obvious with a shrug, causing Bilbo to roll his eyes and Tarya to frown. She'd never heard of finding one's One. It wasn't exactly how things went with her kin.

"Yes, but… how do you know it's the One?" Bilbo asked and Tarya looked at Fili as well who was scratching his head with a sheepish expression.

"Well… I wouldn't know. Ask Gloin. Gloin?"

Tarya's gaze wandered over towards the red-haired dwarf that cleared his throat awkwardly, obviously a bit taken aback by the sudden attention he was getting, for the whole camp was practically staring at him and waiting for an answer now, except the ones that probably already knew the story, Tarya thought, his brother for example.

"Well, I – " he cleared his throat, obviously not sure what to say or whether to say anything at all. But as Tarya caught his gaze, she saw him hesitate for a moment.

Kili watched Gloin as he hesitated, looking into the Amarok's eyes that were apparently having an almost compelling effect on the burly dwarf. It was just a moment later that Gloin huffed slightly, although not angrily but rather in a defeated manner.

"Well, you just… know, I suppose."

"How did you know?" the Amarok asked quietly, obviously not happy with the answer and Kili couldn't help perking up his own ears.

"You know," Gloin repeated, unsure of how to explain himself. "Your body tells you. You look at your other half and your body reacts to it. The heart thumps hardly and the mere sight of your One fills you with warmth. And you… Mahal, you just know."

Kili averted his gaze to his lap, a deep frown working its way onto his face. That was exactly what his body was doing to him lately and he could practically feel his brother's gaze on him.

"So it's love at first sight, then?" Bilbo asked and Kili looked back up. Was it? He hadn't fallen for Tarya at first sight, he thought, so there was no way she was his –

"Wasn't for me," Bombur interfered merrily, happy to participate in a conversation in which his opinion was actually one of the most valuables, for he had experience on the concerned topic. "I only realized Delifra was my One about three years after I'd met her."

"Yeah, I remember that day. He came all but stumbling into the house, all wide-eyed and flustered. Said his heart was trying to jump out of his chest," Bofur chuckled and turning towards Tarya he added, "I thought his heart had finally succumbed to all the fat he'd been stuffing himself with and was refusing to work any longer."

Bombur's cheeks reddened slightly at his brother's words and as Tarya curiously looked up at him, he shrugged awkwardly. "Well, I guess I was rather slow to understand. But I eventually realized that it only ever happened around her," the burly dwarf explained and the Amarok, as well as most of the dwarves smiled slightly.

Only on Kili's face every hint of a smile had suddenly vanished and had given way to a shocked expression that was directed at the plate in his lap, for he quite didn't dare to look up. And so he didn't notice that not only Fili, but also two other people were watching him closely.