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

Cirashala sighed, before standing up. The elven tea had helped with the pain from her injury, and she could only hope it would ward of cramps in her legs as well. She had not wanted to rest for no other reason than she would not likely be able to get up again afterwards.

Apparently, though they did not ache, her legs still began to feel the effects of the morning's excursion. As soon as she began to stand, her legs wobbled badly, causing her to fall back down on the ground almost immediately.

"Ow," she whispered through gritted teeth as her rear end made contact with a hard tree root protruding out of the soil a bit. She braced her hands on either side of her to try and get up again, when a hand entered her vision. Surprised, she looked up into the smiling face of Bilbo.

"I would imagine you aren't quite used to adventuring either, Miss Cirashala," he said. "Especially with you're having been hurt recently. Do you need a hand up?" She glanced toward Thorin, but he was busy in conversation with Balin and didn't seem to notice. She nodded gratefully, and accepted Bilbo's hand.

The hobbit hoisted her up and kept a hold on her arm as she steadied herself. When she was confident her legs wouldn't turn into jelly again, she released Bilbo's hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," she replied gratefully.

"Don't mention it," he responded. She turned and looked at the arrow, before grasping it with both hands. She tugged hard- and the arrow didn't budge. She took a breath, and tugged again even harder.

"Looks like that is in there pretty tight," Bilbo observed. "Mind if I try?" She shrugged and stepped aside.

Bilbo took a turn tugging, but the stubborn arrow refused to give. He even placed one foot on the trunk of the tree as he pulled to no avail. He began to pant and get red faced as he pulled against the tree, before backing up and glaring at the offending arrow with his hands on his hips.

If she hadn't still been worn down by grief, she might have chuckled at the hobbit standing there looking very much like an irritated mother. She sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder. The hobbit looked up at her.

"Thank you for trying, Mr. Baggins," she said, "But it is my arrow. I got it in there. I can figure out how to get it out of there…I think." He looked at her for a minute, his expression seeming to ask her if she was sure, before going off to the side and wringing out his coattails. She sighed again and looked at the arrow, trying to figure out a way to pull it out.

Reaching for the rope, she untied it from around the tree. Keeping the rope still tied to the arrow, she gave a hard tug on the taut end, only to go flying backwards with a loud cry as the rope slipped right off the arrow, taking the fletching with it.

She vaguely heard shouts, before cold water suddenly surrounded her, filling her ears and her mouth. The shouts became muffled, before disappearing entirely as she was swept downstream with the strong current.

XXX

Fili and Kili had stood off to the side, watching the hobbit try to pull the arrow out of the tree with amusement. Kili knew full well that, despite Thorin's orders, the arrow wasn't coming out of that tree. Despite not being shot quite straight and hitting the tree off to the side, he had a feeling the arrow had sliced rather deeply in the tree. He had seen the style of arrowhead the archers of Rivendell used, and they were very sharp, long, and narrow. They would penetrate an enemy quite deeply, yet they could still be pulled out of flesh if necessary, unlike orc arrows, which were barbed, forcing healers to push them through to get them out.

He had to admit, he was a bit surprised that she had even hit the tree, what with teaching herself. Then again, the bank was covered with trees, so it was likely that she would have hit at least one of them. It had been very lucky for her the arrow had hit the tree where it had, and had held fast for her in the stream until she could tie it to the trunk.

Probably hit a knot, he thought as the hobbit's face turned red and he stood back and glared at it. It won't come out of the tree if it had. Besides, after going through wood it would be blunt anyway.

He turned to Fili.

"I believe you owe me three gold coins for that one, brother," he smirked. Fili grumbled something very unkind under his breath, but passed his brother the coins, Kili having bet that the hobbit wouldn't be able to get it out. He placed the coins in his pouch, cinching it up and placing it back on his belt, grinning triumphantly as Fili glared at him.

"Bilbo may not have gotten it out, but Thorin told her to do so," Fili said. Kili shook his head.

"There is no way that arrow is coming out of the tree," Kili replied, glancing back at the girl, who was untying the rope, before returning his gaze to his brother. "I don't even know why he told her to do that." Fili shrugged, his expression indicating he didn't know either. Kili glanced at Thorin, who was discussing their path with Balin.

He had just turned to ask Thorin if it was really necessary that the arrow come out when he heard Cirashala cry out.

Kili's head flew around just as Cirashala splashed into the cold stream. Fili was already running toward the river bank, as was a few of the dwarves. The golden haired dwarf tried to go in after her, but Thorin caught him.

"No, Fili!" he shouted. "You almost drowned last time!" The dwarf king caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes widened.

"Dwalin!" he roared. "Get Kili!" The burly dwarf began running after Kili, who had thrown off his quiver and his coat and was now running downstream, eyes focused on the girl as her head popped up out of the water.

The large dwarf chased after Kili shouting, but the youngest dwarf was the fastest runner in the company, and Dwalin couldn't catch him. The other members of the company ran down the bank after the two shouting as well, except Thorin and Fili.

The young dwarf was struggling with all his might against Thorin, but the king wouldn't budge, fully remembering the incident a month ago where Fili and Kili nearly drowned trying to get a stupid pony out of the river. Both their eyes widened as Kili jumped in the stream.

"No! Kili!" Thorin and Fili shouted in tandem as his head disappeared under the deepening water before breaking into a run, Thorin keeping a tight grip on Fili's arm.

XXX

Cirashala came up out of the water sputtering. The current was far stronger than she had thought, and the water far colder. She was a strong swimmer usually, but her wound, coupled with not having eaten all morning, made her weak as she struggled against the current.

She could hear the dwarves behind her on the shore, shouting something inaudible to her water-filled ears. Water splashed in her face, and she cried out as her wounded side hit a large boulder just under the surface. She spit out the water that splashed in her face, as more splashed in it.

Remembering that she must keep her legs in front of her in case there were more rocks underneath in a river, she fought to move toward the bank. It seemed to get harder and harder to move her limbs as the cold began to seep into her body, numbing her arms and legs. The current suddenly dragged her under, bubbles rising underwater as she fought to reach the surface.

Suddenly, she felt a very hard tug on one of her braids, and, despite fighting it, the air left her lungs in large bubbles as she cried out against the pain. She could feel her windpipe burning as she sucked in water, her body fighting the intrusion with coughs that yielded no air.

A strong arm wound around her torso, gripping her tightly. She could faintly see the sunlight getting closer as her vision began to blacken around the outside, before her head suddenly popped out of the water with a loud splash.

She coughed violently, expelling water as she tried in vain to breathe. Pain laced up her wounded side with each effort. Dark spots danced in her vision, and through the rushing in her ears she faintly heard someone shout, "It's all right! I've got you. Hold on!"

XXX

Kili held her tightly as they hit another submerged rock, scraping his knuckles hard. He could hear her coughing hard, and was a bit relieved. At least she hadn't drowned. He shouted reassurances to her, hoping to calm her down enough to try and take deep, slow breaths.

Looking toward the shore, he spotted Dwalin pulling another rope out of his pack as he ran, not far behind them. As Kili felt them passing another rock, this one slightly above the water, he grabbed onto it with his free hand, stopping their descent downstream temporarily.

He was beginning to feel quite cold from the water, and he gently pushed the girl next to the rock, keeping himself between her and the open stream. He could feel her shivering, and realized that she, not being a dwarf, must be far colder than he was.

"You all right?" he spoke softly in her ear. Cirashala didn't seem to hear him, still coughing and gasping violently as she expelled more water. Kili frowned, and his eyes grew wide as he saw the side of her face begin to turn blue.

"Cirashala!" He cried. He heard shouting from the shore, and looked up to see Dwalin and several members of the company standing on the bank.

"Kili! Grab the rope!" Dwalin shouted, and tossed the rope towards him. The rope fell short the first time, and Dwalin pulled it back and threw it again.

It landed on the rock just in front of Kili, and he grabbed it with his free hand, causing the two to lose their hold on the rock and begin to float downstream again. He tightened his grip as the company began to pull it, determined to not let go of the rope.

The company pulled them to the safety of the shore, and as soon as Kili's knee scraped the bottom, Bofur reached out and pulled Cirashala out of his arms. Fili broke through the crowd and helped a shivering Kili out of the water, wrapping his arms protectively around his younger brother.

XXX

Bofur placed an unconscious Cirashala on the ground, and Oin rushed forward. Kili was on the ground next to his brother, Fili's arms wrapped around him and rubbing his back to get him warm. Thorin looked at Kili, and, seeing him shivering with blue tinged lips, turned to Gloin.

"Gloin, get a fire going!" Thorin ordered, before going over to Kili and draping his own coat over the shivering lad's shoulders. Kili paid him no mind, however, as he stared at the girl with his eyes wide in shock.

He was on the plain again, seeing the girl bleeding before him, her white clothes rapidly staining with crimson blood. Her undershirt or whatever it was had begun turning red far too quickly for his comfort, and he pressed his hands to her wounds, trying to stem the flow of blood. He looked at her ashen face, and quickly reached up to brush the muddy hair away from it and off her shirt so the mud didn't get into her wounds. Her pale face was still streaked with mud and now blood, and was quickly turning the same shade as her clothes had been previously. He began to put as much pressure as he dared on her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding but at the same time trying to make sure she could still breathe.

A loud coughing sound brought Kili back to the present, and he blinked as the girl began gurgling, her back arching as her body fought to expel the water. Oin quickly turned her on her side, and she began to cough up water, her face still blue.

XXX

Once the water was coughed up, she began to breathe more normally. Oin rubbed circles between her shoulders, speaking gently, if not a bit loudly as he helped her sit up.

"Easy now, lass. Slow breaths," he ordered. She nodded slightly, eyes closed as she concentrated on her breathing. A slight breeze wafted through the air, and she began shivering violently, her teeth visibly chattering through her blue lips. Her eyes opened slightly, and she caught sight of Kili, his hair soaking wet as he sat with Fili's arm around his shoulders. Their eyes locked for a moment, but before she could say anything, Thorin's voice thundered, causing both of them to jump.

"What in Middle-earth were you thinking, girl?!" he shouted. "You almost got yourself drowned!" Her eyes widened as she looked at him, before she stuttered, "Y-you t-told me to get the a-arrow out of the t-tree." Thorin stared at her for a moment, before his expression turned thunderous.

"By pulling on it with the rope? Are you out of your mind? Anyone can see that the rope would just slip right off!" he roared. Her eyes lowered, and she swallowed down the urge to start crying as the entire event began to sink in.

Bilbo, noticing her embarrassment, piped up despite his hesitance.

"Thorin, I tried to pull the arrow out too. It didn't budge," he said, and Thorin glared at him.

"I cannot expect a simple hobbit to be able to pull that arrow out," Thorin growled, "But a girl, who said she had weapons training—" he gestured toward Cirashala, who hung her head, "Should have known how to remove the arrow from the tree." He turned toward the shivering girl.

"Go back to Rivendell. If you cannot survive in the wild, you do not belong out here," he said, and his tone left no room for argument. Kili looked from Fili to Cirashala, his expression filled with pity as she bit her lip and her brow furrowed. He was also afraid of getting left behind, or getting sent home, and he knew how she must feel. Thorin speaking his name caused him to look away from the girl and up in his uncle's furious face.

XXX

"What in Durin's name were you thinking? Was nearly drowning once not lesson enough for you?!" Thorin growled, and Kili shrank back into Fili as he swallowed hard, before his eyes hardened and he glared back.

"What was I supposed to do? Let her drown?" he snapped, causing everyone's eyes to widen a bit. Thorin's expression hardened.

"She swore to protect all of our lives, including yours!" he thundered back. "Because of her reckless mistake, she put you in danger!"

"I owe her a blood debt!" Kili shouted, standing up, his dark eyes sparking fire. The company went quiet, eyes darting back and forth between the two dwarves, clearly uncertain about whether they should move and give the two furious royals some space or not. Several of them, mainly Dori, Nori, Ori, Gloin, Bombur, and Bofur began to step discreetly away, but they did not get far.

Cirashala stared wide eyed at the young dwarf as he argued with his uncle. "She was nearly killed trying to protect me! If she hadn't jumped in front of that warg, I would be dead, and you know it! Are you saying that I should dishonor myself and the line of Durin by letting her drown?!" Thorin opened his mouth to retort, but a quiet voice stopped him.

"I can swim," Cirashala spoke softly as she looked up. The two looked at her for a second, as did the rest of the company, who stopped their subtle retreat as soon as she spoke. Thorin stared at her incredulously.

"If you can swim, how come you nearly drowned?" he growled. She flushed a bit, and stared at the ground as fourteen eyes bored holes in her.

"I can swim really well, but I hit my side with a rock under the water," she said, then jumped as her stomach growled loudly. She flushed a bright red, and despite the tension, several of the dwarves chuckled.

"Did you swallow a cave troll, lass?" Bofur joked, trying to ease the tension. A few of the dwarves chuckled nervously as she shook her head.

"No," she muttered, blushing more as another rumble erupted from her empty stomach. Balin approached her and knelt by her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Have you eaten at all today, lassie?" he asked her. She shook her head, and Thorin sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why not, girl?" he asked, looking at her again. She bit her lip again, before answering.

"I-I said I wouldn't eat much," she replied nervously, and Balin's eyes went wide.

"By Durin's beard, lassie, there's quite a difference between not eating much and not eating at all!" he cried out, shaking his head. He looked at her as she ducked her head, wrapping her hands around her torso as she shivered. Realization dawned in his eyes.

"You don't have any food with you either, do you?" She shook her head.

"Why not?" Thorin demanded, his expression still angry. She shrunk a bit, before looking the dwarf king in the eye. Her teeth still chattered as she shivered. Her face had returned to most of its normal pale color, but her lips were still blue.

"They were going to stop you," she replied. Thorin's eyes went wide, before he narrowed them.

"Who?" he asked, his voice low and edged with steel.

"I-I heard them," she replied. "Lord Elrond and Gandalf-they thought I was sleeping, but I heard them. They said something about a council, and that the white wizard was going to stop you from going on your quest." Thorin cursed under his breath, clenching his fist, and several of the dwarves began to mutter angrily.

"What does this have to do with you not having food, lassie?" Balin asked her gently. She looked at the white haired dwarf.

"I-I wasn't supposed to leave Rivendell for another week," she replied softly. "I didn't know where the kitchen was, and if I had asked for traveling food, they would have known you were leaving." The mutters ceased abruptly as the stunned dwarves stared at her.

"You-you didn't ask them for traveling food because of us?" Balin asked her, surprise in his voice. She nodded.

"You probably could have fought the elves, though you would have been outnumbered," she whispered, "but I don't think you could have fought a wizard."

The dwarves looked at her in silence for a moment, their eyes wide. Thorin regarded her with an unreadable expression as she looked back at him. The breeze began to pick up and she shivered.

"Well, I daresay it's no wonder you weren't able to swim against the current, what with not having eaten anything all day," Bilbo piped up matter of factly, breaking the silence. He grabbed his bag, and pulled the blanket out, draping it over her shoulders. Thorin stared at her for a moment, before going to Kili and helping him stand. She heard him say, "Just don't jump into any more streams, Kili," under his breath, and Kili nodded. The dwarf king looked her way again, but said nothing as he walked with his nephews toward where Gloin was gathering the pile of wood for the fire.

Bilbo shuffled a bit in his pack, before shoving some bread and dried meat in her hands. The stunned girl gaped at the hobbit.

"B-but Mr. Bil-Baggins," she stuttered. "I-I thought hobbits enjoyed many meals a day a-and complained when their food ran s-short." Somewhere behind her, Gloin snorted as he got the fire started. She tried to hand the food back to Bilbo, but the hobbit smiled warmly at her as he held up his hands.

"Take it. I can't imagine not eating breakfast, let alone going without food all day," Bilbo replied. "I daresay I would wither away to nothing before too long. It's no bother, really." Cirashala smiled as she took the food and began to eat slowly.

"Thank you, Bilbo," she whispered, her voice grateful.

If you only knew, Bilbo Baggins, of the long journey through Mirkwood. You will know that feeling of hunger before too long, she thought as the hobbit helped her stand and make her way to the warm fire.