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

WOOHOO! 100 chapters! So I got an extra long one for you all to celebrate :D Hope it's good!

It took several minutes for Cirashala to remove Kili's boots, fighting considerably with the buckles as she attempted to undo them with one hand.

Mahalu-me turg! She thought to herself, fighting to keep the words inside her head from coming out of her mouth as she remembered how secretive the dwarves were with their language. Why won't the damn things unbuckle?

Finally, she managed to get the muddy buckles undone, then studied the boots for a moment, trying to figure out the best way of getting them off. Deciding that trying to pull them outright might be the easiest way, she scooted until she had one of his feet in her lap, and began to pull as hard as she was able.

The stubborn boot came off after a moment, smacking her in the chin. After rubbing the mud off and glaring at the offending boot, she quickly moved toward the other one, removing it as well. The smell from his unwashed socks assaulted her nostrils, and she had to swallow several times to keep from losing her meager meal.

M-Meril was right, she thought to herself, trying to focus on breathing through her mouth rather than her nose. He really does need to bathe.

Quickly taking the damp, sweaty socks off and dumping them in the washtub as well, she moved toward his waist. Her hands hovered over the laces on his trousers hesitantly, before her eyes were drawn to the bump where his runestone rested in the small pocket.

His runestone, she thought to herself as her eyes widened. The one his mother gave him to remind him of his promise. Her eyes moved up to his face as her gaze softened, the young dwarf still sound asleep.

Hearing Meril's footsteps approaching the door, she quickly took the stone out of his pocket and slipped it into her boot, determined to keep it safe.

XXX

Meril rummaged through her chest of drawers, hands filtering through the homespun fabric as she searched.

She knew she was considerably taller than both of her new houseguests, and she knew that Freida's clothing would still be far too small and short. Despite his height, she also knew that the injured dwarf's shoulders were far broader than her own.

It had to be dwarves, she thought to herself as she tossed various items of clothing aside due to being either too long or too slender. They couldn't have been humans, with normal stature.

Her hands paused in her task as a thought came to her mind.

Stature, she thought to herself suddenly. His shoulders are broader than mine, but…

Her eyes traveled over her shoulder to rest on the worn nightshirt lying on a wooden chest at the foot of her bed where she had tossed it earlier. It had been her late husband's from long ago, and for practical reasons more than anything else, she'd kept it for its perfectly good fabric to use as needed. Merchants hardly ever came through their village anymore, so what little fabric they had they either made themselves out of wool from their sheep, or had to send men on the long journey to Rohan to trade for more.

She had cut off the bottom of the fabric to use as the young dwarf's bandages earlier that evening, as it had been too wide for her to wear as nightclothes, her husband having been a large man. But, perhaps it would fit the injured dwarf. And with her cutting the bottom off, it might even be short enough for him.

Well, that takes care of him then, she thought to herself. But what about the girl?

Meril did not have very many nightgowns, after all, as more than two or three would be very impractical and wasteful. But the girl's tunic was clearly missing, and one could hardly allow her to be half naked, even if the male dwarf was her brother. The old woman had to find something, as she didn't have time to make anything right now.

She will just have to wear one of mine for tonight, Meril decided, grabbing the article of clothing out of the chest and shutting the drawer. I will just hem it up in the morning so she doesn't trip and rip it.

Meril checked on her granddaughter, relieved that she was still sound asleep in the large bed they shared despite the dwarf's loud cries of pain as they tended his wounds. Turning, she grabbed the shorter nightshirt as well and moved toward the door.

XXX

Cirashala glanced up as Meril entered the room, shutting the door behind her softly. The young woman's gaze traveled toward the white bundle in the elder's arms as she approached.

"Here are the nightclothes," she said, setting them on a rocking chair in front of the fireplace. "I will get the straw tick and bedding while you dress yourselves."

The old woman moved toward the left door, pausing as she reached for the handle. She hesitated for a moment, before turning toward Cirashala.

"There is a rag next to the bowl and pitcher on the washstand," Meril said quietly. "Might consider washing yourself up too, after he's done."

Cirashala nodded. The door closed behind the old woman, and her gaze once more moved toward the laces on Kili's trousers. Biting her lip as she took a deep breath, she reached for them and tugged, untying the bow. Moving towards his feet, she began to tug the damp brown fabric off, breathing a sigh of relief that his long underwear went all the way down. Dropping the muddy trousers in the water, she startled a bit when she heard an audible thunk on the bottom of the washbasin.

What on earth? The young woman thought to herself as her brow furrowed in confusion. Reaching in the hot water, she hissed as the heat stung her hand. Biting against the slight pain, she pulled the top of the wet trousers out of the water, her eyes widening at the visible sag on one side.

Is that what I think it is?

Laying the top of the piece of clothing upside down across the side of the basin, her eyes widened even further as her suspicion was confirmed. Quickly she tugged the ties of the money bag, pulling it off the loop where it had been hidden inside the waistband of his trousers.

I can't believe the goblins missed it, Cirashala thought in surprise as she looked down at the heavy wet bag. She glanced toward the bag's owner, then back at it, before stuffing it as well in her other boot.

The coin is his, not mine, she decided firmly. But I will be sure to ask him if he would be willing to repay Meril for her aid when he awakens.

Turning back toward the young dwarf, who was now clad in only his long underwear, the butterflies in her stomach returned. He had trusted her a great deal when he had given permission for her to clean his wounds, she could tell by the look in his eyes, but to strip him completely…no, she could not do that, not after the way he reacted to her suggestion of wrapping his ribs the first time.

It would humiliate him, she realized, her gaze softening. I cannot violate his trust, not even if he's unconscious.

An old memory came to her then, of changing in the locker rooms for physical education class. She had always been self conscious of her body, especially in high school with other kids teasing her, and hated changing in the toilet stalls because the space was too small to maneuver easily. So she had compromised, and would take her arms and head out of her shirt holes, slide the PE shirt on her forearms, then move quickly to slide it on at the same time she slid her regular shirt off. It solved her problem- no one saw more of her than she wished, and she could still change.

That's it, she thought to herself, relief flooding her. She glanced at his torso, and though they had cleaned his wounds before bandaging, she could still see several spots outside of the wounds that were still muddy. His face also had mud and spots of blood as well, mingled with dried sweat.

Glancing around, she spotted the bowl and pitcher Meril had spoken of, and stood shakily to her feet. Slowly making her way across the room, the young woman grabbed the pitcher, filling it up with water from the water barrel.

Returning to Kili's side, she set the pitcher down, before retrieving the bowl and rag as well. Settling herself down beside his head after pouring the contents of the pitcher into the bowl, the young woman dipped the rag in the water and began to wash the grime and blood off his face, taking care to be as gentle as possible.

"I'm sorry I lost the knife," she whispered, gaze softening even as feelings of guilt nestled in her chest at the blood spots. "If I had just looked harder, maybe….maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly."

A loud thud sounded behind her, and a startled Cirashala looked up with a gasp to see Meril sliding a straw tick across the floor on its side. The old woman skirted it around Kili's head, before laying it down in front of the crackling fire with a slight thump. Returning to the room she had brought the straw tick out of, she emerged a moment later with her arms full of a brightly colored quilt, sheets, and two pillows. Setting her bundle down next to the mattress, she nodded toward the unconscious dwarf.

"Why isn't he changed yet?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion as her nose wrinkled slightly. "His underwear needs to be washed too." Cirashala flushed and ducked her head slightly.

"I-I didn't want to take it off until I was ready to put the nightshirt on," she said quietly, feeling the warmth on her cheeks. "He-he's very shy, and it would humiliate him to be naked on the floor, especially in front of a stranger." Meril's eyebrow went up.

"He's asleep," she replied, laying the sheet out over the bed. "He won't know." Cirashala looked up, jaw setting in determination even as butterflies continued in her stomach.

"I would know," she replied quietly but firmly. "I-I don't wish to violate his trust in me." Meril's head turned toward her, eyes wide with surprise.

"I know how to do so without him being indecent," Cirashala quickly continued before the old woman could interject. "But…I will need your help."

Meril regarded her with an unreadable gaze for a moment, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two, before settling on the broken hand, and sighed.

"Let me finish making the bed, and I will help you," she said. Cirashala nodded, dipping the rag once more in the soapy water before moving to his feet.

At the very least, those certainly needed to be washed as soon as possible.

XXX

With Meril's help, the two managed to get the nightshirt on Kili. It was a little bit snug around the chest, and the sleeves were far too long and needed to be rolled up, but the length was fine and it would suffice.

Cirashala made certain that certain parts of his anatomy remained covered to preserve his modesty as they dressed him, and if the old woman questioned it, she didn't speak up. Moving toward the straw tick, the elder drew the blankets down, before turning toward the younger.

"Put your arms under his while I take his feet," Meril ordered as she moved toward the lower end of the unconscious dwarf. "We need to lift him onto the bed."

The young woman nodded, reaching under his torso and placing his armpits in the crook of her elbows. Meril wrapped her arms around each of his legs as she placed them on either side of her body, and nodded.

Cirashala let out a breath, and the two picked the unconscious dwarf up, grunting at the dead weight in their arms. The old woman stepped on the foot of the straw tick as the younger maneuvered around the head of the mattress, before setting him down as gently as they could. Kili did not stir.

Panting from the exertion, Cirashala moved out from behind the straw tick, and Meril crouched down and pushed the foot of it until the head end rested up against the wall. Reaching down, the young woman grasped the edge of the quilt and moved to cover him up, gently tucking the edge of the quilt under his left shoulder.

"Aren't you going to get in?" Cirashala froze, cheeks turning scarlet as her eyes widened.

She wants me to do what?!

The thought of sharing a bed with the young prince hadn't even occurred to her. Granted, they had shared his coat as a blanket out in the woods and slept side by side, but that was out of sheer necessity else they would have suffered exposure and gotten too cold.

"Well?" Meril pressed. The young woman glanced up at her, the elder frowning. Cirashala recalled her near mistake earlier that almost revealed their secret of Kili's lack of relation to her, and quickly came up with a solution.

"I-I think I'm going to sit up and watch him for a bit," she said quietly, gaze moving toward the sleeping dwarf as she avoided eye contact with the older woman. "Just to make sure he's all right."

Meril sighed, before standing to her feet.

"Do what you will," she said quietly. "But it has been a long day, and dawn will come soon enough." Moving toward the door on the right hand side, she turned over to look once more at her unexpected guests, her expression unreadable, before going into the other room and shutting the door behind her.

XXX

Cirashala moved to set another log onto the fire, before returning to Kili's side. His breathing still sounded rattled and forced, concerning her.

She had washed up and put the nightgown on after Meril retired for the night, before refilling the bowl with clean water and grabbed a new rag from the pile. Eyes taking in his flushed cheeks, she dipped the rag in and began to bathe his face in the cool water.

Her mind traveled back to all that had transpired since she'd ended up in Middle-earth. Waking up in the trollshaws, hiding from the trolls, attacking Kili in her confusion and fear, and their flight from the warg pack. She recalled how Kili carried her as they ran after she stepped in the thorn bush so she could keep up. She vaguely remembered feeling a very, very short beard on her forehead as she bounced along right before a peaceful, calm feeling had come over her, only for her to wake up in Rivendell. Having felt his beard on her forehead since, she now knew that he must have been the one to take her to Imladris when she was hurt, and wondered how he'd convinced Thorin to let him do so, or if Gandalf had overruled the dwarf king.

Memories continued as she recalled accidentally attacking him in self defense the morning they left the elven valley, how he'd rescued her from the river after the arrow incident, how he and Fili both had waited for her and Bilbo to catch up after the cram incident, the fight with the wolves. She remembered the night of the blizzard, and how she'd woken up in his arms feeling like ice as the company's coats enveloped them both and Fili rubbed her feet to get feeling back in them.

Her cheeks flushed a bit as she remembered stumbling upon him bathing in the mountains, and how he'd rescued her from orcs when she was stupid enough to leave the safety of the company afterward in her embarrassment.

She then recalled the fall in Goblin Town, the terror of being in the water in darkness, and the fear that first night away from the others. Kili's promise that he wouldn't take advantage of her, tending the wounds on her back, and admitting that he was just as frightened as she was at being lost. The days of weary stumbling, and how he must have hidden far more than his broken ribs from her, if the bruises covering him were any indication.

Her mind then turned toward the violent carnage at the site of Mizimel's death, and she felt her chest tighten as the memories of her family's death came to the fore. A few tears escaped her eyes, landing on her rolled up sleeves as images of the blue dwarf child's face mingled with that of her daughters.

She missed her husband and her children terribly. She had no doubt that her husband would have defended her much in the same way Kili had, if the circumstances had been the same. She missed the nights where she could cuddle with him, the days where things were overwhelming and she could bury her face in his neck and cry and knowing it would all be ok.

She missed his face, his laughter, his sense of humor. She missed the way he'd hold her close, and how she'd fall asleep in his arms. She missed how he'd say her name lovingly, the feel of his lips on hers, his caress. She missed the times they'd go hiking, or play tennis, or laugh together as they bumbled about on roller skates, neither being even remotely good at that particular sport but loving it all the same simply because they were together.

Her thoughts were suddenly broken by the feeling of a quilt being laid over her shoulders, and she looked up in surprise at Meril, her eyes filled with tears that she quickly tried to wipe away.

"I-I'm sorry," she sniffled, averting her gaze as she drew the quilt about her shoulders. "I-it's just…with all that's happened...I-I didn't mean to wake you, I—" Meril laid her hand on the young woman's shoulder, silencing her.

"Hush now, child," the older woman said softly. "You're safe, and it is time for sleep."

Cirashala looked between the old woman and Kili. She remembered his promise to his mother, and her own promise to herself that she would return him to the company alive if it took everything she had to do so, wishing to spare them the same grief she had suffered with her own family's death. Dipping the cloth into the cool water once more, she settled it on his hot brow, gently moving the rag between his forehead and cheeks as she bathed his feverish face.

"I will sleep when he is well."

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A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan: Ah ok :) I get you now. Thank you- we certainly need it! June 2014 has NOT been a good month at ALL. Yeah- I'm glad I finally got enough time to write (and got rid of the writer's block finally). I am hoping to update soon, as I have next chapter outlined- I don't usually need to do that, but it was necessary to get over the block enough to focus.

A response to guest reviewer Nikki: Thanks :) Croup and ear infections all done, but the hand/foot/mouth just started, so it won't be for at least 7-10 days until she feels better :( Thanks for the well wishes- we could certainly use them! I will try my best not to stop writing, but real life is always super busy around here. I will try to write as much as I can, but no guarantees.

Much thanks to the patience of my readers as real life throws me for a loop! :D :D :D