Thorin slowly opened his eyes and saw that Kate was watching him with a smile. "How long have you been watching me?" he asked with a confused smile on his lips. She blushed a bit and shrugged as she replied,

"I don't know—a while. You just looked so peaceful and—somehow amazing."

He chuckled and pulled her closer into a soft kiss. "Somehow amazing?" he finally asked as they broke the kiss.

"Uhm, yeah. I could just lie here and watch you. Or bury myself in that beautiful, flowing mane of yours. Gosh, you turn me on by just lying here with that mane and those incredible blue eyes—"

Her voice faded off as he cupped her cheeks and gently pulled her down into a tender, loving kiss while his hands began to bury into her long, blonde mane.

"Like I said before—your hair is like a river of molten gold. I adore gold—" he whispered against her lips which made her body shiver again and her heartbeat increased once more. Once again she captured his lips in a deep kiss.

Reluctantly they dressed again and walked back to the camp at late afternoon. The sun was already on its way to set and Bofur called with a teasing grin on his lips,

"We already missed you!"

They ignored that comment and Kate lowered down next to Balin while Thorin walked to his bedroll to put a tunic on. Kili's eyes grew wide as he saw the red marks on his uncle's shoulder and back. He grinned cheekily and turned to Kate.

"You were supposed to care for him—not to wound him even more," he whispered but broke out into laughter as he saw Kate's face. The rest of the Company was aware of it as well, but Dwalin managed to shut them up with one dark look.

"Thank you," she mouthed to him and he nodded with a soft smile. Lindsey leaned in closer to Kate ans whispered, "Now I really hope it runs in the family—"

Kate couldn't help but chuckle and Thorin approached them as well. He didn't really pay attention to what happened while he was dressing up. That was when Gandalf suddenly spoke up,

"Now that we are all together, I have something to tell you."

The Company watched him expectantly and he added, "I am planning to leave you soon."

"What?" Bilbo cried out in shock.

"You cannot leave us!" Lindsey added in protest.

"I always meant to guide you safely over the mountains. And now, by good management and good luck, I have done it. Indeed, we are now a good deal further east than I ever meant with you, for after all, this is not my adventure," the wizard replied as his gaze drifted to a quite sour looking Thorin.

"I may look in on it before it is all over, but in the meantime I have some other pressing business to attend to," he added.

The whole Company groaned and looked more than distressed and Bilbo was very upset. They had really thought that Gandalf would be by their side to help whenever needed. Kate watched the wizard and he met her glance for a second as if reading her mind he said,

"I am not going to disappear this very instant. I can give you a day or two more if we move on tomorrow. You are fully recovered, I suppose?" He watched Thorin again and the dwarf King sowly looked up as he nodded.

"I will guide you to another place not far from here. We all need a little help for we have no food, no baggage and no ponies to ride. And you don't know where you are or where to go."

"But you know where we are, why don't you just tell us?" Thorin finally grumbled. A light smile appeared on the wizard's face as he replied,

"You are still some miles north of the path which we should have been following, if we had not left the mountains in a hurry. Very few people live in these parts, unless they have come here since I was last down this way, which is some years ago."

"And where do you plan to take us? If there are not so many people around to help?" Kate asked bitterly in a way even Thorin could have said it. It caused the group to chuckle quietly despite their misery.

"There is somebody that I know of, who lives not far away. That Somebody made the steps on the great rock. He does not come here often, certainly not in the daytime, and it is no good waiting for him. In fact it would be very dangerous. We must go and find him; and if all goes well at our meeting, I think I shall be off and wish you farewell wherever you fare!"

They begged him not to leave so soon. Gloin, Nori and Dori began offering him dragon-gold, silver and jewels, but Gandalf was not going to change his mind.

"We shall see," he said, "And I think I have earned already some of your dragon-gold—when you have got it."

They moved on early next morning. Gandalf led them through high grass, ancient oak trees and finally they reached a high hedge. The wizard decided to take them in pairs and told them they should wait for him to whistle. He took Bilbo with him first.

"I don't like this place—"Kate mumbled and cast a glance around her shoulder. She felt Thorin's hand brushing hers to calm her down.

Inside Beorn had invited Gandalf and Bilbo into his house. They followed him and found themselves in a wide hall with a fire-place in the middle. They passed through the dim hall, lighted only by the fire and the hole above it, and came through another smaller door into a sort of veranda propped on wooden posts made of single tree-trunks. It faced south and was still warm and filled with the light of the westering sun. Below was a garden full of flowers that came right up to the steps.

They lowered down on wooden benches while Gandalf began his tale, and Bilbo looked at the flowers in the garden, amazed by their pure beauty.

"I was coming over the mountains with a friend or two—"

"Or two? I can only see one, and a little one at that," Beorn said confused as his gaze drifted to Bilbo. Gandalf shifted a bit nervously as he replied, "Well, to tell the truth, I did not like to bother you with a lot of us, until I found out if you were busy. I will give a call, if I may?"

"Go on, call them!"

The wizard gave a long, shrill whistle and Thorin and Kate came round the house by the garden path and stood bowing before them.

"One of three you meant, I see!" Beorn said amused. He watched the pair carefully before he added, "These aren't Hobbits. It's a Dwarf and a—woman of the men-race, I suppose?"

Kate nodded slowly and Thorin said, "Thorin Oakenshield, at your service! And this is Kate O'Conell." She smiled at the huge man.

"I don't need your service, thank you. But I expect you need mine. I am not over fond of dwarves, but if it is true you are Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, I believe, and that your companion is a respectable woman and that you are enemies of Goblins and Orcs, and are not up to any mischief in my lands—what are you up to, by the way?"

Thorin was about to answer that question but Gandalf cut him off hastily, "They are on their way to visit the land of their fathers, away east beyond Mirkwood and it is entirely an accident that we are in your lands at all. We were crossing by the High Pass that should have brought us to the road that lies to the south of your country, when we were attacked by the evil Goblins and Orcs with their leader Azog."

Beorn gestured to Thorin and Kate to take a seat on one of the benches. Gandalf continued to tell him their story and one by one the rest of the Company joined them.

"I see you are in need. You may have just made this whole lot up, but I am willing to give you food and shelter to rest for the night."

That really relieved the Company and they followed Beorn into the great hall with the fire in the middle. There was a long table set up with food and drinks.

"Hey Bombur! Catch!" Bofur called threw a cheese-ball to Bombu who caught it with his mouth. They cheered and had a lot of fun that evening.

Thorin watched Kate while she was in a merry conversation with Dwalin and Dori. He could feel his heart leaping and beating faster than ever before and a warm smile appeared on his face.

"Why don't you admit it already?" Balin whispered to him and caused him to wince. Thorin cast a glance at the elder dwarf.

"I'm afraid, Balin."

"You've never been afraid, laddie—"

"Exactly. I'm afraid of being afraid—" Thorin mumbled and his gaze drifted back to Kate. "I'm afraid that—nevermind," he saw that she sent him a warm smile. Thorin sighed, got up and left the hall to sit down on the veranda.

He watched the light of day slowly changing. The sky was colored in differents hues of warm purple, pink and gold. His mind drifted back to his homeland, back to Erebor. He could see it reclaimed, rebuild with him as the rightful king on the throne, though he knew very well that a crown makes no king. His folk would live in peace and wealth again. Erebor would become as rich and powerful like it was under the reign of his grandfather before that filthy, flying lizard took it from him.

He closed his eyes, his mind wandered and he saw himself strolling through the halls of his kingdom, through the corridors outside to the battlements and the huge balcony overlooking the landscape. He could see the room next to the royal bedchamber. A room filled with toys and a small bed. He saw Kate sitting in an armchair, her gaze was fixed on the small baby in the bed while she sung a soft lullaby to his heir or heiress.

Thorin snapped out of that day-dream as he was aware what he was thinking about. He panted a little and cast a glance around. Kate just stepped out onto the veranda and approached him.

"May I?" she pointed at the place next to him and he nodded with a smile. He was still more than confused about what he had seen just moments ago. And fear began to build up in him again as he thought about the conversation he had overheard in Rivendell. What if he would really succumb to the gold-sickness? Why should he be safe from falling? Could he tell her how much she meant to him with the knowledge of making her sad once he would lose his mind?

She lowered down and leaned her head against his shoulder. Slowly he placed his arm around her. They sat like this for a while until he couldn't hold it back any longer. He shifted and took both of her hands in his. He looked into her eyes, uncertain how to start.

"Thorin, what—?"

"Sssh—"he captured her lips in a soft kiss but broke it quickly. "Kate, before I tell you what I want to tell you—I have to talk with you about something very important."

"Whatever it is you can tell me," she said with a soft smile and shifted closer towards him. He lowered his gaze, trying to find the right words.

"There is—a sickness thriving in my family. It's called gold-sickness. It is the growing greed and desire for gold and treasure. The Arkenstone—you remember it? It made it even worse. My grandfather grew mad due to that stone. We had too much gold, too much power. I don't know what happened to my father after the Battle of Azalnubizar, but it is highly possible that he succumbed from the same sickness and died somewhere on his way back to Erebor. And now it is me, Kate. I listened to a conversation between Gandalf and Lord Elrond in Rivendell and—Kate, what if I fall? What if I make promises that I can't keep? What if—if I tell you what's going on inside me if I'm on the way to lose my mind someday and maybe even forget about—you?"

Kate watched him still with that soft and warm and loving gaze before she cupped his cheeks and leaned her forehead against his. "Whatever happens, I am there for you. I will follow you wherever this path is leading us. And I won't let it happen that you fall. But if you do—I will be there and I will catch you. Because I love you, Thorin. And love will cure every sickness in this world."

His heart banged so hard in his chest that it felt as if it would like to break free to jump into her chest and melt with her heart.

He blinked at her, surprised and completely over washed with happiness as well. A warm smile appeared on his face. "Oh Kate—I can't even say how much I love you."

He pulled her into a deep kiss to seal their confession.