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 looked to Balin, and indicated to him to lead on, as he had asked him ten minutes before. The dwarves, Cirashala, and Bilbo began their long march toward the looming mountains. Cirashala looked up and stared at them in awe.

She had lived in many places across the western United States where she was from, and had lived around mountains for probably about half her life, give or take. She had lived in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains as a young teen, and yet they could not compare to the majestic mountains before her.

Their tall, snowcapped peaks reached higher than she remembered the Rockies did, and the veils of mist that gave them their name reached around their heights. She could only see them for a moment, before the path came out in a forest filled with tall pine trees, blocking her sight.

They marched through the trees on a barely discernible path for what seemed like a very long time to Cirashala. Though she had hiked quite a bit when she had been younger, after having children she hadn't been able to reach that level of endurance back. Her severe illness during the pregnancies had caused her to place herself on at least half time bed rest, and by the time her second daughter was born, she had lost most of her endurance.

She could definitely feel that lack of endurance as well as the effects new boots, and was pretty sure she would be ending up with blisters before the day was out. But, she had promised that she would keep up, no matter what. And she intended to do just that. She did not want to be left behind, and she had little doubt that Thorin would be true to his threat. Looking up, she realized that most of the dwarves and Bilbo had already passed her up. Remembering a brief clip from the movie, her eyes widened and she quickened her pace a bit.

She silently prayed that their delay in Rivendell wouldn't put them too close to the orc pack that she knew was trying to find them. She really had no desire to meet wargs again anytime soon, especially a white one with a certain pale orc for a rider.

XXX

Kili trailed toward the end of the line. He scanned the trees from time to time, hoping to spot something he could shoot for their meal when they made camp that evening. He spotted several squirrels, and while they weren't bad for eating, he was hoping for something a little more substantial.

Nori had been rather successful as it were procuring rations for their journey the night before they left, including some meat, but fresh meat often tasted far better than salted, at least in Kili's opinion. Salted was far better than no meat at all, but it needed lots of soaking before the salty taste washed away enough to be palatable. Fresh meat was also typically less tough, therefore it could be roasted, whereas the salted meat often had to be stewed in order to soften it enough.

Kili's mind trailed toward the thought of the smell of freshly roasted meat wafting through their home in the Blue Mountains as he and his brother would arrive home from training, and his mouth began to water at the thought. He could imagine his mother leaning over the fire, turning the spit as the meat sizzled and the drips of fat splashed down into the fire below with a hiss.

He was so deep in his thought he didn't notice the path curving, and ran smack into a tree.

"Ow!" He jumped back, rubbing his still tender nose amidst snorts and chuckles from some members of the company. He threw a glare at the amused parties, before stalking past them in a huff, rounding the corner he had missed the first time. His cheeks reddened, and he lowered his head slightly, not wishing anyone to see his embarrassment.

"What a graceful lad, he is!" Gloin chuckled.

"Aye, that's true enough!" Nori chimed in.

The snickers behind continued, and Cirashala looked ahead of her at the slumped shoulders of the young dwarf. She sighed, and did not laugh. She debated on asking him if he was all right, but decided against it, figuring his pride was wounded enough without having someone mention it further.

She felt bad for the young dwarf, for she knew exactly how it felt to be laughed at. She had been badly bullied in school, and it seemed no matter where she went kids were the same regardless. She was always the outsider, always the strange child. Even with her two younger sisters, she was an outcast. The bullying had been mostly taunts and vicious rumors, but a few had gone even further to feign friendship only to betray her after and one or two had increased it to public humiliation.

"Been around the elves too long laddie? Wanted to get a closer look at nature?" Gloin snickered loudly.

"He was dressed like an elf the other day," Nori continued, a gleam in his eye. "Maybe he was around them so long he started to turn into one! After all, he does look a little bit like an elf. Isn't that right, Mister Gloin?" The two dwarves erupted in bellows, Gloin slapping his knees loudly as Nori threw an arm over his friend's shoulders.

Cirashala saw Kili freeze, before gripping his bow tighter in his hand and continuing on. They walked a few more paces, and the wind shifted, blowing in her face instead of from behind, and she heard it. It was so quiet it was barely perceptible, but she heard it. A slight sniffle, and it came from Kili's direction.

She felt anger bubble up, and her fists clenched. Her jaw tightened and she slowed her step until she came sidelong to Gloin and Nori. She walked next to them for a minute before clearing her throat, causing both dwarves to look at her, their eyes still dancing with mirth as their chuckles died down. She kept her demeanor calm, hoping not to incite the wrath of the quick tempered Gloin so soon upon her joining the company, but determined to end the cruel jests directed at Kili.

"You have a question, lass?" Gloin asked her. She nodded, crossing her arms casually.

"Forgive me for intruding, but I was curious about your joke. I know I am somewhat new to this company, and I will admit that dwarf humor is something I may not understand," she said quietly, though her voice was edged with steel. "Is taunting often done in jest among dwarves, or are the words meant to hurt?" She emphasized the last word, before shooting them an icy glare. The two dwarves stared at her for a moment, before Gloin's visage hardened.

"And who are you to be judging my humor?" he asked her angrily, gripping his axe. "Are you implying that I was intending to harm to my prince?" Nori glared at her as well, and the whole company stopped short and stared at the two. Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin, who were at the very front, had not heard the exchange, and looked back confused. The dwarves who did took a defensive stance and Cirashala could feel the eyes of nearly the entire company boring into her.

"No! No, I wasn't, master Gloin," she replied quickly, bowing low. "I was merely trying to understand the joke you and your friend shared, for it was beyond me. Forgive me if my words offended you, for they were not intended to do any harm. If they did, I humbly apologize." She straightened back up, and looked at the red haired dwarf tentatively, who narrowed his eyes at her. He stared her down for a moment, before shouldering his axe and continued walking with a huff. Nori followed suit.

Thorin cleared his throat, staring pointedly at the company, and rest of them turned and began to walk again. Taking a shaky breath, she began to walk, but only made it a few paces when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and looked to the side as Fili came into view beside her.

"Thank you," he whispered. His eyes met hers, and she could see the gratitude in his gaze. He released her shoulder and marched ahead, joining his brother. He placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, and the two looked at each other for a split second before continuing on as though nothing had happened.

XXX

In truth, Gloin and Nori's words had hurt Kili. In fact, they had hurt a lot. He had heard the cruel jests before, many times before.

The first time it had happened, Kili and Fili had gone to the marketplace on an errand from their mother. They were so excited to be able to do so, it being their first time in the marketplace without her. Fili went up to the grocer and was giving him the list his mother had given him, when Kili had spotted a rather rambunctious pup running around in the street. He loved dogs, though his mother would not let him keep one, and this one looked like a fun playmate.

Unknown to Fili, he took off after the pup, chasing it all the way through the marketplace. It went under tables and around corners, with the energetic lad right behind it, until it stopped in the middle of a group of dwarflings playing a game of tag and began to scratch its ear.

Most of the dwarflings were older than Kili, their parents nowhere to be seen as they were deemed old enough to play on their own. Kili had gotten distracted by the young lads playing and had almost forgotten about the pup, who, after taking care of its itch, began to prance around the group of youngsters. Kili suddenly remembered the pup as it began to bark wildly while running through the legs of the dwarflings and in general making a nuisance of itself.

He chased after the pup, but after an accidental kick from a youngster who wasn't quite tall enough for the pup's attempt at running under his legs, the pup scurried away, and Kili lost sight of it. He realized suddenly that he was right in the middle of the group of dwarflings, who had stopped playing and were now eyeing him curiously. A few of them snickered, and Kili wondered why, until a large black haired boy with freckles and a rather impressive beard for a child stepped forward.

"What's this?" he asked, and folded his arms as he smirked at Kili. "A little elfling come to join our fun?" The group snickered, and Kili looked up at the boy in confusion, brows furrowed together.

"I am not an elf!" he said. "I am a dwarf, see?" He pointed to the slight wisps of a beard by his ears, and the snickers got louder.

"You call that a beard?" the boy asked him. "Even girl dwarves have more of a beard than that!" The group erupted in outright laughter as they pointed at Kili, whose wide brown eyes looked up at them in shock.

"I am a boy!" he cried, blinking back tears. "I am not a girl!" His lower lip trembled as his eyes flitted around, looking for Fili. His brother was nowhere in sight.

"Look at the little elf!" one of them hollered. "He's going to cry!"

"Such a pretty one!" another called out, and a few of them whistled at him. The large boy looked around at the snickering group, before eyeing the little dwarfling with a gleam in his eye.

"Are you sure you're not a girl?" he asked, a wicked smile gracing his face as he looked Kili up and down.

Kili nodded fervently, his breaths becoming faster at the strange expression on the boy's face. He began to back away from him slowly, forgetting he was surrounded, until he backed right into two more boys. They immediately grabbed his arms and held on tight. Kili struggled as the large boy drew near, fear coursing through him.

But, no matter how he struggled, he could not free himself. The boy stopped in front of Kili and smirked, before grabbing his chin and looking him right in the eye. Kili tried to turn his head but the boy's grip was too strong. His eyes widened in fear.

"Yup, definitely half elf," the boy said triumphantly, before patting Kili's cheek roughly. He grabbed Kili's chin again.

"And definitely a girl, from the looks of it," he added, smirking again. The other boys laughed. Kili's eyes got large, and his face grew hot.

"I am not a girl! I swear!" Kili replied, attempting to kick the large boy, who sidestepped it easily.

"Care to prove it?" he asked. Kili's face paled, and he shook his head back and forth quickly. His eyes grew very wide as the older boy reached for the laces on his trousers, and his eyes scrunched closed as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"NO! FEE!" he cried, fighting the boys holding him as much as he could, but to no avail. He felt the black haired boy start pulling on his trouser laces, and tears slipped out from under Kili's scrunched eyelids as he desperately screamed Fili's name repeatedly.

Suddenly, there was a loud shout, and Kili could feel the boy's hands let go of the laces. He opened his eyes, and saw his brother on the ground trying to pin his would be attacker. Fili was shorter than the boy, but, unlike slender Kili, had the broad shoulders and muscle of a dwarfling. Adding to Fili's physical capability was his fierce anger at the mistreatment of his brother, and within a matter of seconds, Fili had pinned the boy down and begun to hit him in the face repeatedly until the older boy screamed for mercy.

The two boys that had been holding Kili let go and ran, as did the rest of the group when they saw several adults rushing to the scene. Kili held up his now loosened pants with one hand, trying to lace them up with his shaking fingers. He managed it just as Dwalin pulled a roaring Fili off the now sobbing boy.

The blubbering dwarfling just laid there and moaned as he clutched at his face. A very angry dwarf woman pushed her way through the crowd, glaring daggers at Fili, and helped him sit up shakily. Kili looked at his attacker, who was sporting a rapidly darkening eye and clutching a misshapen and bloody nose as he whimpered in his mother's arms.

"Fili, calm down!" Dwalin yelled angrily as Fili thrashed about in his arms, causing Dwalin to struggle to keep from dropping him. The dwarf mother stood up, hands on her hips and fury in her gaze.

"Is he yours?" she asked Dwalin, gesturing to Fili, who was beginning to cease his struggles, though he still glared daggers at the boy. Dwalin shook his head.

"No, he isn't mine, but I know his mother and uncle well," Dwalin replied, setting Fili down but still keeping a tight hold on his arm. The angry woman pointed again toward Fili.

"That child nearly killed my son!" she shouted, and Dwalin held up his free hand. Kili could see him tense, and despite being young knew why. Dwarf mothers could be absolutely feral when it came to the safety of their children, and even burly warriors such as Dwalin knew better than to provoke a dwarf mother's ire. He had seen it all too well with his own mother. He would even venture to guess that Dwalin feared Dis greatly when it came to her sons.

"Now, lass, I am sure there is an explanation. This boy would never harm another unless there was good reason," he said, before glaring down at Fili. "Well, lad?" he asked in a stern voice. Fili glared at the bloodied boy.

"He and his friends called Kili a girl and an elf!" he cried. "His friends were holding Kili's arms and he was trying to unlace Kili's trousers!"

"He's lying!" the boy cried, pointing to Fili. Dwalin narrowed his eyes at the boy. The boy's mother's face turned red.

"My son would do no such thing!" she shouted at Dwalin.

"I saw young Kili lacing up his trousers as I ran over here," one of the dwarf ladies in the crowd spoke up. Several others in the crowd spoke their agreement, and one of the boys who had been watching stepped forward nervously.

"Fili's right," the boy said, visibly shaking. "I saw the whole thing. Bordin did what Fili said."

"I did not!" Bordin shouted through the hand that held his bloody nose. "You're a liar, too!"

Dwalin glared at young Bordin, narrowing his eyes. The boy trembled, before averting his eyes, and Dwalin instantly knew he was lying. He scanned the crowd, and saw Bofur.

"Bofur, please take young Fili and Kili home," Dwalin said. "I need to have a few words with Bordin regarding how he should treat royalty." Bordin's eyes widened and his face turned white, as did his mother's. Dwalin smirked at their discomfort.

"It would be a pity should Thorin Oakenshield discover what happened to his nephew," Dwalin said, brushing his knuckle dusters nonchalantly as he eyed the woman. She immediately bowed, pushing her son forward as well, though he protested.

"May the Princes forgive my son for the dishonorable deeds he performed today," she said, eyes on Kili. He had nodded, tear tracks visible on his face. Fili placed a protective arm around his brother as Bofur led them home. Kili's wide eyes looked up at his brother, seeing a splash of purple darkening his cheek and a bit of blood dribbling on his split lip.

"Fee?" he asked quietly.

"Hm?" Fili replied.

"Thanks," Kili whispered. Fili squeezed his shoulder.

"Anytime, little brother," he said, pulling him close.

Bordin had disappeared for a while, but the taunts continued. Soon, other dwarflings began to remark about Kili's sparse beard, and more than once the brothers ended up in a fight over other's questioning their mother's honor regarding Kili's parentage.

Their mother and Uncle Thorin had tried to put a stop to it, but the rumors and taunts continued behind their backs. Kili had finally learned some self control and after his mother begged him and his brother not to get into any more fights over it they had honored her request.

As they began to get immersed in their lessons and weapons training, the taunts had slowed, though they did not die completely. Rather, the two were so busy between their two activities that they hadn't been around others quite as much. They still heard them, whispers among the others who trained with them about Kili's choice of a bow, whispers in the marketplace, and whispers around the forge. Kili had tried, for his mother's sake, to just let them be. But the words still hurt.

Now, hearing them again within the company, even if they were truly meant in jest with no harm intended, brought back the same feelings of hurt and insecurity that had plagued him for years. He had known that there would be teasing after he had rejoined the company in elvish clothing, but he hadn't expected to extend beyond what had already happened in their chambers in Rivendell. Apparently he had been wrong.

He hadn't heard exactly what Cirashala had said to Gloin and Nori, but whatever it had been had made them very angry. He had seen Gloin tense and reach for his axe, and saw her lips move and bow, before Gloin and Nori walked away in a huff. They passed him without so much as a glance, let alone a snicker, much to his relief. His shoulders relaxed slightly, though he still refused to make eye contact with anyone in the company. Thorin had ordered them to continue on, and he ducked his head, not wanting anyone to know that he had been on the verge of tears.

Fili had come up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder, and Kili hadn't even bothered to hide his face. Fili knew him too well, and knew how much the taunts about being an elf hurt him. He was always there when Kili was hurting, and he would stay until he knew Kili would be all right. His eyes met Fili's, and his brother had smiled at him in reassurance as he nodded slightly. Kili smiled back, and blinked his tears away. No words had been needed.

Anytime, little brother.