The dwarves and the rangers seeked shelter in a abandonned village north of the point where they had been attacked. Alert for more orcs the rangers patrolled the vicinity and secured the dwarves who were far too exhausted to watch their backs and flanks. But now that the king and some of his loyal company had joined them, the dwarves felt hope. The brothers Ri started to look after the females and dwarflings, while Bilbo and Bofur took care of dinner. Thorin and Dwalin sat with Dis and listened to her reports.

'It took you some time to find us, brother. You really have a terrible sense of direction.' Dis teased Thorin.

'At least he did not get lost in the Shire this time.' Bilbo smiled warmly as he saw the frown on Thorins face. The hobbit remembered the thunderous expression on both Thorins and Gaias faces as they arrived at his door the night before they started their journey. It had been obvious that they had been fighting, but nobody had ever asked why. Bilbos gaze wondered over the rangers who passed them for their patrols. Most of them were men, but some had their faces covered and Bilbo could not help but look for a pair of warm brown eyes.

'Are you looking for someone, Master hobbit?' Dis had seen the searching look in Bilbos face and was curious. As she saw Bilbos caught expression and her brothers frown, her curiosity grew. 'What is going on?'

'I was just looking for someone.' Bilbo stuttered and tried to focus on his stew.

'Do you have friends within the rangers? I must say, for a hobbit you know quite a few people.' Dis smiled as Bilbo blushed. 'I must say these men and women are brave and honorable warriors. If you see a female, Master Bilbo, please tell me. I need to thank her, she fought at my side as the orcs attacked us.'

In this moment Thorin chocked on his stew and Bilbos eyes widened in surprise. 'This female ranger...how does she look like?'

'Bilbo!' Thorin glared daggers at the hobbit, but Bilbo ignored him.

'Well...' Dis noticed her brothers discomfort. 'She is just a wee bit taller than I am, she has brown hair bound up into one single braid. Brown eyes, snub nose...why do I get the feeling that you all know her? Thorin?'

Dis suddenly remembered that the female ranger had gotten silent as Dis had talked about Thorin. So they did know each other.

'Who is she?' Dis demanded to know. She got a dull feeling that the pain in the rangers eyes could be the same pain she could see in Thorins eyes right now. But before Bilbo could answer Madril joined the group and adressed Thorin.

'Our scouts have detected an orcpack on the road ahead. We have to be ready for some fighting tomorrow.' the ranger told the king of the dwarves.

Thorin nodded and stood up to alert his kin. 'We will be ready.' turning to Dis and Bilbo he frowned. 'I will hear no more of this. It was Gaias choice to leave.'

With these last words he left to gather his kin. Dis looked at Bilbo in confusion. 'Gaia? Is that her name?' the hobbit nodded. 'What did she do to him? Or maybe I should ask, what has my pigheaded brother done to her?'

Bilbo did not know where to start. He began to tell Dis that the female ranger had joined them on their quest and that she had fought at their side against goblins, Azogs orcs and the elves of Mirkwood. Bilbo had realised that there was something going on between the ranger and Thorin as they had reached Mirkwood and the elves had put the ranger and Thorin into one cell. As Bilbo was wearing his ring he had visited the dwarves, to make sure that they were alright and he had witnessed a moment between Gaia and Thorin, a moment which should have been only theirs.

Gaia was sitting against the bars and listened to the singing of the elves who celebrated above them. It was a beautiful song, but the sound of Thorins boots stomping onto the hard ground of the cell made her nervous.

'You want to escape by pacing a whole into the ground?' Gais asked dryly. 'Stop this for the Valar´s sake, you are driving me crazy.'

Thorin only glared at her and continued pacing. 'Don´t tell me what to do, woman.'

'I will speak as I please, dwarf.' Gaia spit back and made Thorin stop.

'Are we going to have the same argument like before we reached the Shire?' Thorin growled.

'Maybe, at least this time I do not need to guide your majestic arse all the way to Hobbiton.' Gaia sneered and froze as she heard laughter coming from the other cells.

'Did she just call him a majestic arse?' they could hear Fili whisper.

'I think so.' Kili whispered back. 'She is so dead.'

'You know that we can actually hear you?' Gaia asked them through the bars of her cell. At first there was deadly silence and then Kili answered nonchalant.

'Of course, but its you who is in a cell with uncle, not us. We are safe.' Thorins youngest nephew tried to sound certain, but Kili was too honest to pull such a bluff. Nevertheless his answer made Gaia chuckle. She adored Thorins nephews, for they always made her laugh. Their carefree minds were a drastic contrast to the grief struck soul of their uncle. But this time Gaia chose to ignore the playful teasing of Thorins nephews. She turned to Thorin and frowned.

'You could have gotten us out of here, but NO! You had to tell Thranduil that you wished to pour excrement onto his head! For goodness sake!' Gaia stood up and did her own pacing now.

'That tree shagger had no honor! He deserved no other answer.' Thorin growled.

'Anything that could have gotten us out fo here would have been better than this - how are we ever supposed to get out of here?' Gaia was furious by now. 'And as if that was not bad enough, I am stuck here with you! You insufferable, stubborn piece of ...'

Gaias ramble was cut short by Thorins lips on hers. The dwarf king had pulled her close and kissed her. He had acted on impulse to shut her up, but as his lips met hers he knew that he had wanted to do this all along. At first Gaia fought against the close contact, but soon she relaxed and melted into the dwarves arms. Her hands, at first fighting his chest, moved over his shoulders into his hair. Their lips relaxed and the kiss grew softer.

Bilbo stood in front of the bars to their cell, unsure wether to grin or stutter as Kilis whisper sounded throught the dungeons.

'Did he kill her?'

'She loves him?' Dis whispered and suddenly the pain in the rangers eyes made sense to her. Being with dwarves again, together with the sister of the dwarf she loved, who looked so much like him must have been torture for the woman. 'What happened then? Why did she leave? And why doesn´t she want to see my brother?'

'Well...' Bilbo didn´t like gossip, but Dis had the right to know and she would find out everything she wanted to know anyway. 'Thorin - he was not himself as we reached Erebor.'

'He banished you for treason, he wrote it to me. He did not write one word about her.' Dis stated calmly.

'Gaia saved me and tried to kick some reason into him.' Bilbo smiled despite the haunting memory. 'Thorin was about to throw me over the cliff as Gaia stepped between us and prevented him from letting me fall down onto the rocks. His madness and hatred turned towards her and he banished her with me.'

'But that was not when she left?' Dis could guess.

'Gaia left after the battle. Together with Tauriel - and please do not ask me about Tauriel - she defended Thorin, Fili and Kili and was badly injured. The elves had to take care of her, but after Thorin awoke she had left. I do not know why. Maybe the hurt was too deep. I do not know.' Bilbo shook his head and sighed. he really did not know what had happened.

'Did my brother even try to get her back?' Dis wanted to know. As Bilbo shook his head Dis stood up and walked over to her brother, giving him a hard smack on the back of his head. At that Bilbo, as well as a dark figure standing in the nearby woods, had to smirk.