I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J

Thorin could hardly believe his eyes when his nephews emerged from the cave with the young girl. He was already very irritated that they had to retrieve the young heirs as is, and now they seemed to have found a reason to be delayed even further. He sighed heavily, glancing at Dwalin who just shook his head before returning his gaze to the girl in Kili's arms.

Cirashala had hidden her face in Kili's shoulder, fearing the company's reaction as they first saw her. She was still in disbelief that she was in Middle-earth, she was in pain from her wounds, and to top it off her stomach was still nauseated and she most certainly did not want to introduce herself by throwing up all over everyone. Plus, she was still very shaky from having not eaten much, especially in the past three days.

"Who is this girl? What happened?" Thorin asked his nephews sternly, his patience wearing thin after the events of the past two days. They looked back and forth at each other, not exactly sure where to start the conversation. Suddenly the girl in Kili's arms moved to get put down, and for fear of unintentionally dropping her he relented and set her down. She stood up, very shaky and pale, but to her full height. The dwarves looked at each other then back at her, more than a little bewildered.

She looked directly at the dwarf king, face still partially hidden by her matted hair, then, to the astonishment of the company, bent forward at the waist and bowed deeply in front of him in the fashion of dwarves. The dwarves gasped and looked back and forth between her and Thorin, wondering how she had known that he was the leader of their group. Thorin himself was a little surprised, eyes widening at the unexpected gesture, but recovered quickly, and nodded to her.

She stood back up, no longer standing at her full height but hunched a bit, and shaking from the dizziness that threatened to make her fall over. Feeling very self conscious and nervous, she wrapped her arms around herself and shut her eyes, trying to remain upright. But she was unsuccessful as the days of eating very little caught up with her, and before she knew it her knees buckled beneath her and she once again hit the ground with a thud, blackness entering her vision.

XXX

She woke up almost immediately, eyes fluttering open to see Bilbo and Gandalf hovering over her. A flood of nausea swept her, and turning over quickly she crawled to a bush and began to be sick. But since she had barely eaten, all she really was able to get up was stomach bile. Tears streamed down her red face, both in mortification and exhaustion. When she was done she leaned back and reached with her hand to wipe her face, when a ripped piece of green cloth entered her line of sight.

Bilbo knew that the "hankie" he had acquired from Bofur wasn't much, but at least it might help the poor girl clean up a bit. He even contemplated offering her his jacket, for she clearly was missing her dress, but had decided against it given that he was still painfully aware of the troll mucus still coating it. He wondered about the poor girl and what had led to her being so lost in the wilds, many leagues away from the nearest village. She had clearly had a rough time of it, whatever it was.

Gandalf was also a little confused about the girl. Once Fili and Kili had quickly explained to Thorin and the company what had happened, he looked further at the girl. He could see the cuts on her feet, but he did not see any calluses that pointed to her having walked very far. She must have had boots at one point, but had lost them. He also saw her cut and scratches, but he did not see any rope marks or signs that she had been held prisoner. And since he had known the farmer and his family that had used to live in the abandoned farmhouse, he knew she had not been a part of their family. The girl was a puzzling riddle to him. Adding to it was that she was very small and looked young, but he could tell that she was nearing if not already of age for a human, and it was pretty rare for fully grown human girls to be so short in stature.

He looked at her again, giving Bilbo a nod of thanks after returning his handkerchief to him. Bilbo held up his hands, not accepting it back.

"No, you keep it. You have more need of it than I do, miss," he said. She looked at him, uncertainty clouding her features as she looked back down at the handkerchief.

"It's alright miss. I won't be needing it," he reassured her. She still looked doubtful, and Thorin rolled his eyes. Now the burglar doesn't need a handkerchief, he thought to himself. If only he had remembered this little detail BEFORE he stopped us needlessly the other day. He shared a look with Dwalin, who also rolled his eyes, apparently thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, a howl rang out through the trees. The entire company jumped, startled, and reached for their weapons.

"Wolves? Are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked Bofur, who shook his head, fearful eyes scanning the trees.

"No, that is not a wolf," he replied, voice wavering in fear. A growl sounded from the rocks above him, and several members of the company cried out as the warg scout sprang down and jumped on Dori. Dwalin immediately finished off the warg with his two axes, Grasper and Keeper, as another warg sprang toward Thorin. Kili fired off an arrow that hit the warg in the chest, and Thorin and Dwalin finished him off as well.

"Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind!" Thorin shouted, wrenching his new sword out of the now dead warg.

"Orc pack?" Bilbo questioned, not liking this new turn of events at all.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked Thorin sternly.

"No one," he replied.

"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf repeated, growing angry and tense.

"No one, I swear!" Thorin answered, his voice becoming defensive, "What is going on here?"

"You are being hunted!" Gandalf replied, looking around for any more threats.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin growled.

"We can't! We have no ponies! They bolted," Ori cried as he and Bifur ran back up to the company. Bilbo rolled his eyes.

"After all that trouble with the trolls and those damned ponies ran off anyway?" he muttered to himself under his breath.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast piped up. Gandalf looked at him as if he was crazier than he had already come across.

"These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you," he replied, clearly annoyed by this point.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits!" Radagast's face broke out in a conniving smirk.

"I'd like to see them try." Gandalf shook his head, but what other choice did they have? As Radagast prepared his sleigh to leave, Cirashala looked around at the dwarves throwing their packs and supplies on their shoulders as silently and quickly as they could, taking turns so others could be watching out for more scouts.

It had not escaped her notice that when the first warg howl had sounded, Kili had pushed her in front of a tree and both brothers stood in front of her, weapons drawn. She knew she must appear quite weak and helpless to the dwarves, which she was, but she also knew that if any of them were to die trying to protect her that she would never be able to live with the knowledge that others families would see their loved ones die. She would not allow herself to be responsible for inflicting the same grief she bore on another.

Her eyes welled with tears again as she remembered all the things she could have done differently to save her family, but she quickly blinked them aside. She didn't really care if she died at this point (at least she would be with her husband and children again), but she must focus as best she could so others didn't get killed on account of her. Like it or not, she knew she was now under the protection of at least some of the company, if only because their chivalrous honor would not allow a woman within their midst to get hurt if they could prevent it.

Radagast clucked at his rabbits, and they flew off toward the edge of the forest at a very impressive speed. What impressed her more was not how fast the rabbits were going (she had lived where there were jackrabbits in her world and they are very fast animals indeed), but rather how Radagast kept them all going in the same direction, as normal rabbits are wont to run in zig zags and any other direction they had a mind to if they felt threatened. They waited a bit, peering through the cover of the trees until they saw that Radagast's plan was working and the wargs were distracted by him, before setting out.

The dwarves followed Gandalf to the first large rock on the plain, taking cover until they could see what path the wargs were following. Thorin gestured to Fili and Kili to come to him, and bent his head toward them.

"You two found the girl. You are responsible for her. If she lags behind and endangers the company, it will be on your hands," he whispered sternly. Fili and Kili looked at their uncle and nodded. Kili swallowed nervously. The thought of the company being endangered because of something he did would not sit well with him. He was trying to prove his worth to his uncle, not show himself to be careless. Fili grasped his shoulder, sensing that his brother was worried, and Kili gave him a small grateful smile. He was worried as well, but he tried to hide it for Kili's sake. They made their way back to the girl, taking positions on either side of her but just behind her. Fili glanced at Kili, and signed to him in igleshmek.

If she starts to slow us down, you carry her. I may be stronger than you, but you are the faster runner. I will defend you both if necessary.

Kili nodded. He had always been one of the fastest runners in the Blue Mountains. His longer legs had aided him in that, as did his leaner frame. His dwarf endurance had even made him outlast some humans in a race. And he did not doubt that his brother would keep his word and defend them if it came down to it. Fili had always been very protective of him from the moment he had been born.

Growing up, once Kili had been old enough to leave his mother's arms and start waddling after his slightly older brother, Fili had never left his side. They went everywhere together, trained together (and even if they used different weapons, one would always accompany the other to the various training grounds and encourage the other), ate together, camped together, pulled pranks together, and even slept in the same bed at home and next to each other on the quest, both for warmth and to ensure that the other was near. People who didn't know them well thought they were twins, for in dwarf years five years is barely anything. Everyone knew where one brother was, the other was not far behind. They were inseparable. Kili had always had Fili, and Fili barely remembered not having a younger brother by his side. Kili had absolutely no doubts that his brother would defend him to the death, and he would do likewise.

Gandalf bade them come, and the dwarves began to run out from behind the rock, following the gray wizard and being very careful to stay out of sight of the wargs. More than once Radagast in his circles led the wargs nearly to them, but they managed to evade them. Thorin even pulled Ori back by the scruff of his collar at one point to avoid detection when the scribe nearly ran out in full view of them by accident.

It wasn't really his fault- he was a scribe and thirsted for knowledge, not a warrior taught to fight. He had never really been trained in weapons, just a slingshot because his elder brother had insisted he learn to wield something to defend himself. When Dori had seen his weapon of choice, he had merely sighed and rolled his eyes. Ori had defended himself, saying that Dori hadn't specified which weapon to learn, merely that he had to learn one. His elder brother had finally given up, for let it not be said that dwarves, whether warriors or scribes, were not as stubborn as the very rock they came from. And once Ori made up his mind, no one could change it, which is how he managed to end up on this quest though both his brothers had tried to talk him out of it on more than one occasion.

He insisted that, should the quest be successful, it should be recorded in the annals of Durin's folk so all will know how the exiled King Thorin II Oakenshield and company had reclaimed their lost homeland of Erebor and slew the great dragon Smaug. And since he was a scribe, and both his brothers were going as well, he should be allowed to join them. Thorin had his misgivings about it, but saw the foresight in recording their journey for others, and knew that after so many had been lost to the dragon that day that they would be hard pressed to find those who were willing to face the dragon again. All he had asked for, all he could ask for, was loyalty, honor, and a willing heart, and Ori had given him all three. He could not find it in his heart to turn him down, but he had insisted that Ori receive instruction in at least some of the other weapons the company wielded when they set up camp for the night so should it become necessary he could still hold his own in a fight. But clearly he still had more to learn about being a warrior. Despite having over 50 years on Kili and Fili, they were far better trained than he, it being expected of Princes, and knew how to keep out of sight of an enemy.

The dwarves kept running from cover to cover, trying to avoid the wargs. Kili and Fili ran on either side of Cirashala, who, despite her feet killing her and her fatigue slowing her, was honestly more afraid of the wargs than injuring herself further. Even if she seemed to not care if she died, deep down some part of her really did not want to die, especially by being mauled, or worse-becoming a prisoner of the orcs. But, her body was winning, and she was hard pressed to keep up. Plus, she had always been more of a sprinter instead of a long distance runner, and her lungs were aching from the lack of air and her side was beginning to really hurt. After the second rock, she stumbled and hit the ground, only to have two sets of hands pull her back up.

Fili and Kili grabbed her hands and kept going, forgetting temporarily that she did not have boots on. She stumbled again with a stifled cry, having stepped right into a thorn bush and shoving the thorns up into her feet. The two brothers looked down, seeing her foot stuck and her frantically trying to get up. Fili shared a look with his brother before whipping his head around at the rest of the dwarves as they began to draw away from the three.

Pick her up, now!

Kili got the message loud and clear, and scooped her up into his arms, both brothers running once more. Biting her lip to keep from crying out at the thorns that protruded from her feet and calves, she held on tightly to Kili's neck. She knew that he would have an easier time running if she wasn't bouncing all over the place in his arms. Her chest heaved as she gasped in air and she shut her eyes tightly at the world spinning around her. Suddenly she felt the dwarves stop and back up to a rock wall.

Oh, no! She thought. Kili has to shoot the warg and orc that is going to be above us in a second and he cannot do that with me in his arms!

She again clamored down, fighting his grip as he was unwilling to place her back on the thorny ground. She pushed away from him and even punched him in the chest until he put her down, confusion crossing his features, not to mention annoyance at her stubbornness. She backed up to the rock next to Fili, who was next to Kili, not wanting to risk being in the way of his shot. Suddenly the paws of the warg sounded above them, and they heard a soft growling and the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Kili and Fili both glanced at her, confused. Then Thorin nudged Kili's shoulder, and he looked at him. Thorin glanced at his bow, then up where the warg was, and then locked eyes with Kili. He understood what Thorin was asking immediately, and put an arrow to the string. He took a deep breath, before rushing out and shooting the warg. It let out a loud yelp, and Kili quickly shot the orc atop it, before both plunged down in front of the group. Dwalin, Thorin, and Bifur acted immediately, spearing, hacking, and slicing the warg and orc, hoping to silence them before it alerted its pack to their location. Kili drew his bow again, but there was no need. The orc and warg finally died, their loud cries echoing off the neighboring rocks.

He glanced at Fili, then both brothers looked at the girl, who looked at the orc and warg with wide eyes. They could see that she was not used to killing, by the way she swallowed hard repeatedly as though to not vomit, but that wasn't the confusing part. She didn't seem that surprised that the warg and orc was there. The brothers shared a bewildered look, which turned to a terrified look as howls rang up all around them. The dwarves looked at each other, then Thorin shouted, "Move!"

The dwarves took off running again. Kili shouldered his bow and went to pick her up. Much to his surprise, she did not protest, but wrapped her arms around his neck again. As they ran from the howls that started to come from all around them, his mind whirled in confusion.

How did she know the orc and warg were going to be there? She must have-she did not seem surprised, and she fought me vehemently until I put her down. It was as though she knew I would have to shoot it.

He glanced down at her as they ran, but could not see her face, hidden in his neck. He could feel her breathing hard against it, and felt her trembling. He was not surprised she was frightened. If he were to admit it, and there was no absolutely no way that he would, but he was frightened too. Yes, the trolls had almost eaten them, but this was by far the most terrifying situation he had been in. He had trained for such a situation for years, and knew that he could fight them. But, while he had not been sure what would happen on this adventure, being chased by an orc pack on wargs was definitely not what he had expected.

Fili had kept warning him before they left that this adventure would not be easy, being far more practical than he was. But he had been so excited at the prospect of actually being allowed to come with his uncle and reclaim Erebor that his enthusiasm for the journey had not led him to think of the potential dangers involved. Sure, he had known that at the end was a dragon that they must somehow kill, but all of that had seemed far off. Like the stories he had heard growing up about battles and great heroic deeds, he had underestimated how much danger there actually was in adventures such as this. And now, being confronted with their first major obstacle (he would prefer to not think of the trolls as having been one, because honestly it was far more embarrassing than heroic and he sincerely hoped that Ori would have enough sense to leave that particular part of the journey OUT of his journal), he had begun to realize that this quest was not going to be a simple walk through Middle-earth until they reached the mountain. He began to regret the teasing he had done to Bilbo that night on the cliff when he and Fili had jested about orcs and night raids. Finally, he understood why his uncle had been so angry with them for even suggesting it could be funny. He had been right- they really didn't know anything about the world.

The thought humbled him, and as howls rang out and the dwarves frantically raced toward wherever Gandalf was leading them, he began to run faster. The girl in his arms tightened her grip, not enough to cut off his breathing, but he could tell she was getting very nervous. He looked up and saw that Thorin had stopped. He looked beyond him, and saw wargs now in front of them. Once again, the girl fought to get down, and this time, he trusted her instincts, or whatever it was that had made her get down before. She immediately ran behind the outer ring of dwarves, and he saw her pick up a rock in each hand. He looked behind him and saw wargs still closing in behind them.

"There's more coming!" he shouted, turning around to face the oncoming wargs.

"We're surrounded!" Fili yelled, drawing his twin falchions and turning to face the wargs, standing near his brother prepared to defend him as he always did.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin yelled, drawing his new sword, which glowed a light blue and seemed to sing as it was drawn from its sheath. Kili drew his bow and began to let arrows fly, keeping the wargs at bay. The others readied their weapons, and they drew themselves in a circle with Bilbo and Cirashala in the middle, the first with his sword drawn and arm shaking, the other with two rocks in her hands.

She was prepared to throw the rocks at anything that came near. Given that Ori had just shot a rock to a warg with his slingshot and it served to only make it smirk (she had no idea that wargs could smirk…until now) she doubted she would be much use against them. But perhaps throwing the stones at an orc's head could at least disorient it enough that one of the others could kill it more easily. She had played outfield in softball and as long as the stones weren't too heavy, she knew she could throw fairly accurately. She only hoped that she would be able to do so without having the benefit of warming up.

She desperately wished she had a bow or a sword right now, since she at least had some training with them, even if it was likely less than Ori had. She barely knew more than the main 9 positions with a sword, and had only hit the bull's eye on her target from about twenty feet or less 8 times, but still it would likely be more effective against the wargs than little rocks. But she was determined to go out swinging in defense of the company. She didn't know how her presence was going to change things, but she most certainly did not want anyone dying before they were supposed to.

Come to think of it, she had always hated the fact that Fili, Kili and Thorin had died in the books. Thorin maybe, because at least he had lived his life already, but Fili and Kili had been far too young to die. And it wasn't really fair that the three had worked so hard to reclaim Erebor only to fall at its gates after mere days of the dragon's death. And have the throne go to someone who had been unwilling to help in the quest in the first place, even if he had been a legendary warrior. Plus, though Tolkien had never wrote about it, she now knew the kind of pain Dis must have experienced at the loss of what little remained of her family, especially having to live knowing she had outlived her children.

She decided that there was no way she wanted Dis to experience the kind of pain she had. She knew full well that it would likely be Fili as King Under the Mountain during the War of the Ring in eighty years if they lived, but she hoped that if she just tweaked the timeline that little bit that he would have the strength of heart to be able to withstand the Shadow. She already knew that he and his brother had the strength of heart to withstand the Gold Sickness that had taken their uncle, so perhaps they would succeed then as well.

One thing was for certain- she had now seen firsthand that the brothers had good hearts, and the conversation Gandalf had with Frodo in Moria came back to mind.

Some that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them Frodo? Do not be eager to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.

She wondered if it was Fili and Kili's death that Gandalf had meant, and thought it likely. She now resolved that, even if she couldn't grant life, she could very well do whatever she could to aid in preserving it, even if it meant giving her own life in return. Three innocent people had already died because of her actions. She was not going to let that happen again as long as she drew breath.

She gripped the rocks in her hands as the wargs approached, a fiery determination in her eyes as she prepared to fight for those who deserve life.