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 Reuel 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's head shot up as the sound of Kili's cry shot through the small clearing. Seeing the young dwarf on his knees gasping for air, she flew to her feet.

"Kili?" she asked quickly as she dropped down beside him. "Kili, what's wrong?" The young dwarf opened his mouth to reply, but the only sound that passed his lips was a watery cough.

Cirashala's eyes widened as his cough increased in severity, the dark haired dwarf's face twisting in pain as he clutched at his ribs. The young woman brought her hand up, gently patting between his shoulder blades to try and ease his coughs, but to no avail. Her brow furrowed.

Those coughs are very deep, she thought to herself, worry creeping across her features. Too deep.

It was a good minute or two before the coughing fit subsided, leaving the young dwarf breathless. Slowly, he drew his hand away from where he had been attempting to muffle the loud sounds, and Cirashala's eyes widened as the results of his coughing fit became visible.

"Oh, no," she whispered, blood draining from her face at the sight of the green and black mucus on his hand, lined with streaks of blood.

The young dwarf jumped slightly as he suddenly felt a cool hand on his forehead. Opening his tightly closed eyes, the young prince turned towards her, shivering at the touch despite the warmth of the morning sun. Dark eyes recognized the worry in her blue gaze, and the frown upon her face. He didn't have to be told that he was feverish- he could feel the heat radiating from his face and eyes plain as day.

"You're burning up," she whispered, moving her hand to his cheek, then back to his forehead. The young dwarf's eyes widened as he felt her hand on his beard and gasped, feeling himself flush deeply despite the heat already on his face. But another surge of pain from his abused ribs drowned any thoughts not related to pain from his mind, and he let out a ragged gasp, curling in on himself slightly.

"Kili, we can't bury them," she whispered, glancing regretfully at the bodies of the fallen dwarves, before her concerned gaze returned to the injured dwarf. "Neither of us can dig a grave-not without proper tools, and definitely not in the condition we're in." Kili shook his head adamantly.

"I have to," he replied shakily, dark orbs meeting her blue ones. "I-they cannot be defiled any more, and it is my duty as prince of my—" The young prince was cut off suddenly as small fingers pressed against his mouth, his eyes widening even as he felt his heartbeat quicken. Cirashala looked at him for a moment, before her gaze fell to the bodies of the slain dwarves.

"There may be another way," she replied, lowering her hand from his mouth. "We…could burn them—"

"No," Kili said simply, his tone firm despite his shivering. His eyes met hers, gaze dead serious. "That is one of the most dishonorable—"

"The dwarves who perished at Azanulbizar were burned," she reminded him, her gaze also very serious. "Wasn't your uncle Frerin one of them?" Surprise filled the young dwarf's features, and he stared at her in astonishment.

"How in Mahal's name did you know that?" he whispered, jaw hanging open slightly. Cirashala instantly realized her mistake, and her face paled slightly.

"He- well, he's not alive anymore," she replied hesitantly. "A lot of dwarves died in that battle. Surely he must have been one of them." Kili looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before nodding.

"Aye, he was one of them," he confirmed, swallowing thickly. "But that was a great battle at the end of a siege that lasted 7 years. So many of our kin perished, and there were not enough survivors to bury them all in stone tombs with the honor and glory they should have had. It was either burn them, or….or leave them for carrion." Cirashala nodded, before glancing at the dwarf family.

"And is that not the same choice we must make as well?" she said quietly, looking back at him. "We cannot physically bury them, nor can we carry them out of the forest to be entombed either." He glanced back at the dwarf family, uncertain.

"Kili," she said gently, drawing the young dwarf's gaze back to hers. "You are a prince, and it's obvious that the dwarf slew several wargs and a few orcs before he died. The mother had-had her child rip—" She let out a shaky breath, blinking back tears, before finding her voice again.

"Can't you burn them with the same honors as the dwarves at Azanulbizar had?"

XXX

Cirashala managed as best she could one-handed to gather enough wood to burn the bodies, while Kili searched the tipped over wagon for lamp oil to aid in quickening the fire.

The young prince rummaged through the broken crates very carefully, not willing to put any more pressure on his ribs or twist in any way. He was in a great deal of pain, and each breath felt as though it rattled within him, but the stubborn dwarf was not to be deterred in his task.

Cirashala had offered to set up the bodies for burning as well so the injured dwarf could rest, but the young dwarf knew that time was not on their side, and insisted that he search for anything that could speed up the process. If the two orcs had heard her screams, there was the possibility that more could be heading in their destination. If an orc pack came upon them now…Kili shuddered at the thought.

Finally spotting a surprisingly unbroken glass bottle, the young dwarf unscrewed the cap, before sniffing it. Recoiling at the pungent scent, he replaced the lid on the bottle of oil, before moving back toward the entrance that had been fashioned from the wagon side and the canvas that had originally covered it.

The unexpected sound of a paper crumpling beneath his foot caused him to look down, and his eyes widened in surprise. Bending down as carefully as he could, the young prince picked up what appeared to be a letter from the wreckage below his feet. Opening it, he began to read the Khuzdul words.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

QUICK READER POLL- does anyone think Cira is a Mary Sue? I am just curious, as 99% of girl-in-middle-earth stories and OC stories have them, and I wanted to make sure that I didn't (or if I do, that she is the rare good sue :) Feel free to review and let me know: D But please be polite about it :)

My deepest apologies to my readers- I know this is a very short chapter, but as I haven't updated in a week and am fighting falling asleep, I decided to go ahead and post it for you. Enjoy!

A response to guest reviewer Lette1685: I am glad you are enjoying it! I have had a rough real life time for several weeks now, but I will try to update as I can.

A response to guest reviewer Isabella: I am glad you like it! :) And I am glad you read it in one go and still found it engaging- I haven't gone through from the beginning in a while so it's nice to know that it's still flowing well. I like it when readers get lost in the story because that tells me I am describing it well enough that it's like you are there :) I am glad it is believable as well, though I cannot take full credit for the canon characters- the actors and their amazing attention to detail and not stopping even when the camera is not focusing on them (and my pause/play button) should receive credit for that one :) I doubt it's the best fan fic on here, but I am honored to be included among the best. I update when I can, though I really do have 2 small children in real life, and have been ill, so while I hope to do frequent updates it doesn't always happen. But I do try. You are welcome-I love The Hobbit too, and I am glad I increased your enjoyment of it with my story :)

A response to guest reviewer Kaia: Awesome! :D Thank you :) He's entering the depression stage of grief, which is often the longest (hint-that's where Cira is at, though she's slowly moving towards acceptance, which is the final stage). It won't be pretty at all, and he will pretty much just give up. But they will reunite soon- Beorn's is the location, however some very important things have to happen in the story before the reunion can take place. But it's going to happen within a week story time wise (longer than that writing wise!). But it won't be too much longer I hope-especially if I keep getting the energy and opportunity to write.

Thanks to all who review, favorite and follow- You guys are so amazing! :D :D :D