*Thorin Oakenshield's Perspective*

She looked broken. Her eyes were filled with tears, bruises lining her neck and the side of her face, but she did not appear to know it as she reached towards me and cried with relief. I would have accepted this last occurrence as normal if it were not for one thing.

"Papa."

I faltered at the title, shaking my head once to ensure I heard properly.

Papa? But that was impossible, irrefutably impossible. How was I to respond to this without harming her? Without upsetting her?

When I heard the cry again, I found myself gripping the cell bars tightly to the point where my knuckles turned white. Thranduil, the bastard, came near to me, but remained just out of reach so I could not touch him, or Aurora.

"So is this your papa, Little One?"

I snarled unappreciatively when Thranduil began to smooth down Aurora's hair, fingers trickling through her dark locks. I could see the change in her mental state them, could hear the distinctive childish tone of voice that only appeared during one of her episodes.

"Well, I can tell you quite a few things about him, Aurora."

She looked terrified, shrinking away from the contact as he shifted her up into his palm and held her eye level with himself. She was crying, crying for me, but there was not a thing I could do when trapped in that cell. I shook the bars angrily, cursing the elf's name as he taunted the poor girl, telling her things that no child should hear.

"Your papa has a long line of greed, a greed that will corrupt his heart as soon as his eyes fall on that treasure hoard of his," Thranduil began calmly, running his finger down her cheek. "It will cause him to go mad, to forget all about the ones he supposedly loves."

"S-Supposedly?"

I could not take the doubt swirling in her eyes and shouted that it was lies, that I would never forget about her, but I was silenced by Thranduil brandishing a sword at my throat, twisting it closer to ensure I would not move. I bit my tongue with great effort, and I am certain hatred was dripping from my gaze as the elf continued in his tirade.

"Now you see, Aurora, dwarves cannot truly love anything but their treasure, especially dwarves in Durin's line, but they did not tell you this, did they? I'll also bet your father never spoke of the gold sickness."

"Sickness? But-"

"It's a special illness, Little One," Thranduil explained, smirking in triumph as I had to back away from the cell bars when the sword came closer. "One that only affects Durin's line and causes them to go completely mad. True, not all fall prey to this disease, but with your father's reputation, I would not be too hopeful. He'll forget you soon enough and give up the facade that he loves you. Soon, all you will be is just another child, needy and unloved."

"Papa loves me. Papa would never-"

"Would never forget you? Oh, I believe he would. Just like his grandfather, Thorin will soon be consumed by gold lust, to the point where his mind will fog over and be incapable of making a single valid decision, incapable of recognizing those who once mattered to him. Are you truly willing to let this happen to yourself? To remain loyal to these dwarves and later have your heart shattered all because of gold?"

I found the sword soon slipping away, and I took my chance to lunge forward, slamming my weight against the flat of the blade to knock the weapon away. I knew it would do no good in the long run, but it startled Thranduil enough to shut his bloody mouth and stop scaring the poor girl. "Aurora, Lass, do not listen to a word this fool says. You know I would not abandon you. I swore it to you that I would not-"

"You should not have done that, Dwarf."

I did not back away as Thranduil retrieved his blade, Aurora held tightly within his one hand so she could not run away. Bracing myself, I launched myself up and gripped near the top of the cell bars. Steadying myself, I reached through the opening, just catching Aurora's hand as she was taken away from my cell.

"It will be alright, Aurora. Just wait, and I will resolve this in all good time. I swear it on my life."

She did not look up, refusing to meet my gaze, and then she uttered something that made me feel more afraid in that moment than I had ever been, more frightened than even when I had first faced Azog.

"Not Papa."

I could not tell how much time had passed before the elf came to me, and if it were not the topic of conversation, I would have immediately turned him away.

"It is Aurora."

I launched myself to my feet without hesitation at the elf prince's words, pressing myself against the cell doors with the question, "Where is she? What has happened to her?"

I was told to step away as he procured a set of keys, and I was soon being led through the dungeons towards where Aurora was apparently being held.

"My father has been neglecting her," Legolas explained, and I found that he seemed truly concerned with Aurora's safety, if only slightly. "She has not received as much provisions as she should have, and what I do manage to bring her is turned away with a frightened whimper. The child refuses to speak, simply clutching a page torn from a book and reading it over and over again. She is not well, and I do not know what to do."

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"You are supposedly her father. Perhaps you could calm her down enough to see reason or even simply eat. You are all she spoke of before my Father put her in the dungeons, but with his tirade, I think he has made her question everything, especially you."

I looked up to the elf, the words slipping from my lips before I could stop them. "Why do you care?"

"Despite the ill will between both of our people, I cannot believe that either of us would allow a child of any race to perish because of it."

I did not respond because, in that moment, my eyes fell upon Aurora's cell. She looked as if she had lost it, hair rough and unmanaged and eyes bloodshot. She was crying, hands clutching a page just as Legolas said she was, and she was just rocking back and forth, shaking and quivering in fear. As soon as the door was opened, I dropped to my knees beside her, reaching a hand out to brush against her hair. The very moment I touched her, Aurora shot away from me, letting out a whimper as she buried herself in the corner of her cell.

"No, no, it's alright, Lass. I shan't harm you."

Getting to my feet again, I inched closer to her slowly, being careful not to touch her until I was sure she wouldn't bolt. I tentatively knelt in front of her, keeping my motions soft and gentle before carefully pressing a hand to her cheek with the whisper, "Pundurith, why are you frightened of me?"

She did not run, but she did flinch at the contact which made something in my chest tighten painfully.

"Aurora, will you tell me what's wrong?" I tried again, letting my hand remain on her cheek as I brushed her tears away with my thumb. "I cannot help you if you do not tell me what bothers you."

"You- You're going to abandon me, aren't you?"?

As soon as I heard those horrified words, I turned my gaze towards the elf standing just outside the cell and ordered, "Leave us."

He moved to protest, but I cut off his objections with the snarl, "I do not care if you lock the cell behind you, but if I am to help her, I require privacy!"

Only when we were entirely alone did I speak again, cupping the lass's face in both of my hands so she met my eyes.

"Do you truly believe I would leave you?" I brushed my thumbs across her cheeks, wiping away any stray tears. "Aurora, Lass, you are irreplaceable. I could not even imagine losing you, much less purposely leaving you. You've come to be far more valuable than I had ever thought possible."

"The gold sickness. It's going to drive you mad, and there'll be nothing I can do about it, nothing you can do about it-"

I pressed a finger to her lips, hushing her gently, before moving my hand to cup her cheek again. "Lass, that is nothing to worry about as of yet, and I can say that I have no intention of falling victim to that sickness. I have seen what it is capable of, and I will do everything in my power to fight it."

She didn't accept my answer, lurching away from me with a sob. "But what if it's not enough? What if you succumb to it and forget me, like everyone else has? I don't want to be alone again!"

I caught her before she could get too far, holding her in my lap even as she weakly struggled. I held her head to my shoulder, hugging her tightly so she would be unable to run off again.

"Aurora, you listen to me right now."

She stilled at my tone of voice, eyes widening and body stiffening immediately. I kept my voice low, but gentle, pushing every ounce of emotion I had into the few words I spoke.

"We are speaking in hypotheticals, Lass. Nothing we say is definite, but there is one thing I can swear to you with certainty." I bowed my head over hers, resting my forehead atop her hair. "I will protect you from everything we face with all my life. Have no doubt in the matter. You are my pundurith, and I will never forget you, will never let you be alone, and I will never leave you."

"P-Pundurith, it- it means kitten, doesn't it? Often used f-for those a person l-lo-" I took away the paper she was reading, tossing it aside without care.

"Loves," I finished, letting my finger trace along her cheek as she looked up at me, eyes wide. "It is a term of endearment often used in reference to someone a person loves, to someone they treasure as if they were their own kin."

"But- But you call me that," Aurora stammered, big eyes blinking owlishly. "Has to be the wrong word."

I shook my head slowly, unable to help but chuckle softly. "No, Lass, I have used the right word. You are my pundurith, my kitten, and my treasure. I have a proposition for you, one that I pray to Mahal you won't turn down."

I took a breath, feeling my heart pound against my chest to the point where the beat resounded in my ears.

"Aurora, what would you say to being my pundurith?" I whispered, keeping my voice soft as not to frighten her. "Will you allow me to care for you, love you, and call you daughter in everything but blood? I could ensure you were safe and give you the family, and the life, you deserve. Nothing would be able to hurt you again, and you'd never be alone. You would be royalty, never in want of anything-"

"Would I be with you?"

"Nearly always, Aurora, and, if not, I would ensure you were always being watched by a member of the Company and in good care."

Her expression was doubtful, like she half-expected me to repeal the offer. She toyed with her fingers, looking down at her hands as if in deep thought. "I- I'd have a family? And- And you wouldn't leave me?"

"I swear it on my life," I assured her quickly, unable to keep my lips from breaking into a smile. I could tell she was close to saying yes, just needing some reassurance that she wouldn't be left again. "I will never leave you, pundurith, not for anything."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She didn't respond right away, shifting uncomfortably in my lap like she didn't know what to do with herself. I let her do as she wished, knowing this decision was life changing for her, as it would be for any broken child like her.

"Do you have an answer, pundurith?" I broke the silence after a few moments, watching her expression carefully when she at last looked up at me, smiling softly. She only said a single word, but it gave me the answer I needed to hear, watching her head bob up and down in a nod.

"Papa."

Hey, guys, back from the dead! Sorry about the long period between updates, but I hope this extra long chapter made it up to you. :) I'll try and update again later this week, so stay tuned! Also, my offer from before still stands. If there's anything you'd like for me to put in the story, just drop a review! I'll read through it and work it in to the best of my ability. So, with that, I hope you all liked this chapter, and now I bid you adieu!