Hello everyone! I didn't get 9 reviews but 8 is close enough and this is already written so whatever. And also it seems as though Fanfiction had a trouble with views for the last 8 days of August so I have no views for then...GIVE BACK MY FUCKING VIEWS, FANFICTION! THEY'RE ALL I HAVE!

Thank you to everyone who did review, I'm glad to hear what ya'll thought and so please deal with my shitty story until the end. Also please remember to check out killthepain62's story Weclome Home. It hasn't updated in AWHILE! Anyways here is the continuation of Lians' Contingency so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit nor it's characters, I do however own my own and the fanart and lyrics I do for the series.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Obligations

They reached the mountain a few minutes after the eagles did and it was just in time for the snow to pick up; seeming to nearly drown them in its heavy downfall. Fires were lit and loud voices could be heard from the inside as Lian took her first glance into the ancient dwarven kingdom. There was rubble scattered about everywhere but there was no doubt that it still held its grand quality; she was in awe at the details seen upon the carved halls, reaching from the rounded ceilings to the base of the pillars. Dwarves were truly masters in the art of architecture.

Thorin's chuckle snapped her out of her trance like state and she glanced behind her to see a warm smile spread over his lips as they trotted forth on the back of her horse. She felt warmth spread through her pleasantly as she removed her gloves; tempted to lean into him but she didn't have the courage to go through with it. All of a sudden she felt incredibly meek around the dwarf even though she had been sobbing into his neck less than half an hour ago.

They continued on and up the grand stair case, the voices growing louder and louder until they finally reached what looked to be the dining hall on a far greater scale then she'd ever seen. Dwarves, elves and Men alike were all crowded in the hall; turning the place into a make-shift medical quarters while the others gathered around the bickering leaders.

Dain, Thranduil, Bard, the company of dwarves and Stevvin stood in a small circle, arguing loudly with Gandalf there as well trying to calm the angry males down. Thorin quickly dismounted, helping her off as well; though she didn't really need help but she delighted in the contact when he held her waist. They could hear the yells clearly as they echoed off the large ceiling, nearly making Lian wince at the volume.

"We need to go out and find her! She was supposed to be back over an hour ago! And now my nephew is missing as well!" Stevvin snarled; the man's face ten different shades of red as his firmly compacted muscles bulged under strain.

"My kin are out there too but if we try to find them now then we'll all die out in that storm!" Dain snapped back, not backing down under the hulking size of the man. Opinions on the matter seem to divide between them and Dain, Thranduil and Bard on the other side; funny to have him and the elves on the same side willingly. Dain may be headstrong and impulsive but he was no fool to think that they could make it through the storm raging outside the mountain; his kin were in no shape to go anywhere else but a cot.

"Our people are in no shape to go out there; we need to rest and then when the storm has calmed we can send out multiple search parties to find survivors." Bard tried to reason but this did nothing but make Stevvin angrier.

"It would be short of a miracle if one person made it through this storm alive, much less several. This storm will last at least two days and by then any survivors would be dead!" He bellowed; his deep voice resounding through the mighty halls and making Lian cringe.

"My people have suffered cause of the petty differences between your races! My king is gone and you expect me to sit here and let my princess and nephew die too?!" Lian could that tell that Stevvin was near his breaking point and she broke away from Thorin so she could rush over and put a stop to this.

"Uncle, calm down! I'm okay." Luke yelled, shoving his way through the crowd to place a hand on the older man's shoulder in an attempt to calm his temper; but the man could not hear over the sudden outbreak of complaints from both dwarves and lakemen. The rest of her kin stood back silently; obviously not agreeing with Stevvin's manner of handling the situation.

"No one told you to take part in the war. You could have easily left and gone back to your planes of ice like the hermits you are." Thranduil hissed; obviously irked by the sudden belittlement to his cause. Lian tried to push her way through the crowd but their anger made them thrash and bump around violently; stalling her from reaching the center.

"You joined on your own free will!" Dain yelled.

"We only helped because the princess took a fancy to your kin after they dragged her half a world away! Your King under the Mountain took advantage of her and now she'll die cause of her damn bleeding heart!" Stevvin roared; Gordon and Nellia holding back the man from lunging forward.

This drew the line for Lian and she finally shoved her way through the crowd so she was face to face with all of them. "Lian." Bilbo exclaimed from Gandalfs side; she hadn't noticed the hobbit past the burly forms of dwarves and lean figures of elves but what he said certainly caught the attention of everyone else.

All eyes were glued to her, including Stevvin's but she paid no mind and strode towards the shocked man. She drew her hand back and with the set of her jaw she brought if forth in a full body slap to his face; her bare palm stinging from the amount of force behind the blow.

The crack of flesh against flesh echoed throughout the now silent hall as all stood in shock to what had just taken place before them; not only was she alive but the first thing she did was strike down one of her own kin. It put a sluggish feeling in her stomach but that could not put out the fire of her rage nor her disappointment in the man she had grown up admiring alongside her father.

"Ya have fallen a great feet from where ya once stood."

She wasn't loud but you could hear the bubbling anger behind her words from the tremble in her voice. Stevvin was speechless as he looked down at her; a mixture of emotions running across his hard features but never settling on one. The tension was so thick within the dining hall that you could probably cut through it with a knife as she stared down the man; though she was technically staring up at him as she spoke.

"Since when did ya become such a resentful man, Stevvin? Since when did ya become such a coward that ya took to blaming others for the misfortunes we've received? Tell me, would this situation have been somehow different if my father had wanted to help them on his own freewill? Because he would never be taken advantage of and manipulated like I was, right?"

"You have no right speaking as if you know anything of what your father would do!" Stevvin snapped; the mention of her father obviously a sore subject for him. Sadly it was just as much of a sour subject for him as it was for her.

"I have every right!" She roared; surprisingly silencing the man.

"Yer anger has made ya forget how involved I was with his military actions! I may not stand with the name of King but I will still have the blood of one in my veins! And I will not have my kin go about on a rampage like some barbarians!"

"We should feel pride in our actions instead of feeling sorry for ourselves. I gave ya the chance to leave and ya all chose to stay so do not act as if ya didn't know what ya were getting yerself into." She finished her rant; her breathing a bit quicker than before as she looked up into Stevvin's grey eyes; her anger finally simmering down a bit.

"Don't be that kind of man, Stevvin." She spoke in a soft but firm tone; his eyes filled with shame burning anew in his eyes now. He looked so broken; so lost but the stubborn fool was doing everything to hide it from her. It was in that moment that Thorin decided to step in and draw the eyes of everyone as she took the proud man's large hand before giving it a squeeze; just like she did when she was younger and he was in a sullen mood.

Luke placed his hand once more on his uncles shoulder and drawing the attention of the man, he looked relieved; taking the lad into a bone crushing hug that was unusual for the prideful man. She shifted a bit uncomfortably at the tender moment between the two but she didn't have time to walk away before she was suddenly crushed in Gordons burly arms and swung around like a ragdoll.

"Let go of me, ya big brute!" She laughed, slapping her hands against his firm forearms that held her waist; she was like a toothpick compared to him though his wife was even smaller than Lian. She stood about 5'1 with a dainty figure to go with it; she was however still held the woman curves and such that any normal sized woman would, frankly she and Gordon looked quite fetching together. Lian remembered the woman always having a crush on the giant of a lad; glared holes into her skull when Gordon had unfortunately tried to pursue his crush on the violent princess in their early youth.

Many thought of her as a prude or arrogant since she never showed interest in the boys in the kingdom but honestly her conversations with Falian gave her expectations about love that never quite matched how she felt about any of the boys. The closest thing to a crush she ever had was actually with Luke; she thought him to be rather appealing to the eye but his meek attitude when they were younger ended up dispelling that quickly.

Their moment of celebration was cut short by the sudden whine of Lian's horse that they had left by the doors to the Dining Hall. All heads turned to see a figure heavily coated in snow walking slowly into the hall; you could hear many draw their weapons along with murmurs.

"A survivor?"

"An orc?"

"Maybe it's one of the lakemen?"

"It's certainly too tall to be a dwarf."

"It can't be an elf; their clothes are far too ratty."

All sorts of theories where thrown about as Gordon set her gently to the ground and she weaved her way to the front to try to get a better view. Thorin was the one to address the stranger, head held high and with pride despite how dreadful he looked; he didn't look like he was in any shape to even be standing. She wished she could be by his side but she knew that people would…misunderstand their relationship; though Lian knew how she felt she couldn't read Thorin's mind. He seemed more complicated than anyone she'd ever met, usually she was good at reading people but he was putting her on a spin; maybe it was just cause she cared so much about what he thought that she didn't want to assume.

"Who are you?" The dwarf asked.

Lian was really looking at the man now, he was…familiar, very familiar actually; she ran her eyes over his tall form and felt her breathing catch in her throat as she noticed small appearance in his attire. Heavy fur lined attire, the silver loop earrings with their polished sapphire gems not to mention the unmistakable green eyes; a shaky gasp left her lips, catching Dain's attention.

"Are you alright, lass?" He asked but she didn't answer as tears welled up and her bottom lip quivered, she knew who he was even though she saw him die; she saw him breathe his last breath before her very eyes. This had to be either a sweet dream or nightmare plaguing her worn out heart; several gasps had followed her own and she found that the rest of her kin much have been seeing what she was.

"Lvaire, King of Forochel." The man finally answered Thorin's question and this was all Lian needed before she bolted towards him, throwing herself into his waiting arms; he was no stranger to her sudden bursts of emotion nor her habit of latching onto someone when she beyond words. She may have grown out of a few of her various habits but she still held the whimsical heart of a child; something that she would probably never truly grow out of for it was a part of her nature.

"Father!" She cried loudly, hooking her arms around his neck and pulling him close as she all but welded herself to him; tears were there but this was hardly like when she had cried with Thorin earlier, instead these where just tears of pure joy and relief.

"How…how are ya alive? I saw ya die." She choked out, her trembling hands patting all over him as if to make sure he was real and not a fiction of her imagination. How can this be? The water Galadriel had given her fail, didn't it? It had been too late.

"I don't know; I just woke up covered in snow." He answered, sounding just as baffled as she was at the moment; other than that he looked healthy aside from his split finger nails and the few scraps on his face. It was almost unnerving; she knew what she saw and yet here the man stood with less of a clue as to what happened than her.

"It seems as though Galadriel gave you a gift before we parted Rivendell, am I right?" Gandalf asked as he stepped forward to address her; blue eyes sparkling knowingly at her. Of course the wizard knew, he was far too sharp considering his age but it was to be expected, he noticed a lot more than he let on.

"Aye but I don't understand, it didn't work." She explained, stepping away from her father just in time for Stevvin to come in; the two exchanging a brief hug before the burly man began to scold the King.

"Dear Lian, not everything can work instantaneously; it takes time." The old wizard informed, placing a firm hand on her shoulder before facing Lvaire. Lian stepped back to give the two old friends their room; no doubt they would be conversing for a while. She glanced towards Thorin but he had already engrossed himself in conversation with his cousin as well as the company; her job was done.

The thought of it all being over brought a pang to her chest, she knew it was selfish but she didn't want it to end; she wanted to stay close with them all and…be in their lives for as long as possible. She knew that the end didn't mean that she was distended to never see them again but the thought of being away set a deep ache in her heart; she was never one for goodbyes. She loved her kin, she truly did but tearing her away from the dwarves was like tearing her away from her family; they were all close to her but she can't have it all.

Most of all though she hated the fact that she'd be walking away from Thorin; what if he forgot her? Or found someone else? She wouldn't even have a chance in trying to sway his heart. No, she couldn't think of this now; she would save that for late in the night when everyone was sleeping.

She turned and saw Luke whispering to Nellia privately so she turned to Gordon; who seemed to be the only one unoccupied unless you call scratching your ass as busy. She could say that was immature but what the hell; she would be doing the same thing if she had the urge so who was she to judge?

"How is Burv?" She asked the large man, gaining his attention enough for him to put on a sullen expression in place of his usual relaxed one.

"He's fine for now but the elves worry that he'll get gangrene on his arm if he's not given full attention at all times. His arm is pretty bad but if he pulls through I think he'll be able to handle a bow still." His words were meant to be optimistic but they came out rather depressed since the likelihood of gangrene was very high; especially in such a crudely made wound.

"And I take it that Trelkin…" She didn't want to finish when she saw Gordons face twist into a look of agony; Trelkin had been Burv's older brother along with Gordon's best friend. She could easily imagine what they were going through and she felt greatly for them as well did she feel her own sorrow for the lad. Trelkin was sly and witty with a nerve of steel; he and Gordon are like older brothers to her and she hated how the war had taken one of them from her.

"I'm sorry." She spoke softly, squeezing the large man's bicep as she felt her bottom lip quiver with emotion.

"Don't cry; you know how he hates when girls cry." He sobbed, she couldn't help but let out a choked laugh as she cried; he was such a big softie.

"Speak for yer self, ya big lump." She laughed quietly, trying to do anything but cry but the smile soon faded as she pursed her lips tightly; the tears were too heavy to stop at the moment and so she just held three of his fingers in her hand since she couldn't fit her whole hand around his. She felt someone touch her shoulder lightly and turned to see Sigrid and Tilda standing there while Bain stood awkwardly behind them.

"I think you left something with us." Sigrid smiled; holding out a thickly wound bundle of blankets and Lian felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn't hesitate to take the infant in her arms and hold the cooing child close to her breast as she felt her heart swell with joy; she wasn't about to let go of her again anytime soon.

"Thank ya." Lian breathed, sending the lass a grateful look that she returned with a radiant smile as the woman rubbed soothing circles upon the infants back. The child rubbed it's face into the crook of her neck, indicating that it was tired as its tiny mouth opened to let out a tiny yawn; she felt her heart warm up with motherly fondness immediately.

Everything settled down after a few hours when blankets were found in the medical wing with the help of the dwarves; the door to the dining hall was barricaded shut to prevent the harsh winds from invading them. So far they were warm enough thanks to the large hearths parallel to each other on both east and west walls along with the large masses of body heat radiating off the crowd of people. They should have no problems lasting through the next two days since the women of Lake-Town were smart, bringing all of their food supplies with them to the mountain that the elves gave them; now what would have lasted them a month will last three days max with the new additions.

The dwarves were in mourning for their fallen kin; Bofur took Bifur's death rather hard, she never thought she'd see the day when she saw the jolly dwarf cry like that. Though their victory was great, the time for celebration was not for now; now was the time to mourn for the lost and pick themselves back up.

Everyone slept in the late hours of the night except for the dwarves on watch and the few elves that checked up on the injured; she saw Tauriel among them but she had nothing to say to her since she hardly knew the she-elf other than when it came to her relationship with Kili.

Her father was thankfully resting as well, she was glad that he wasn't trying to push himself; he may be alive but he was just as tired as the rest of them and the only thing that could cure that was rest. Lian herself was pretty banged up but Oin gave her a quick look, said that both the cut on her ribs and bite mark where harmless enough; the only thing she would have to worry about is cleaning them so they didn't get infected. Lian was tired as well but she wanted to have a few moment of quiet before she slept.

So of course there she was wandering through the Entry Hall deep in thought with the infant as she marveled the magnificent place; just thinking. She would cry when she truly felt the need to and since that was not now she kept walking on in almost a daze.

Lian ran her bare fingers across the weathered stone pillars; stone cool to the touch and almost numbing her fingers along with the cold breeze coming in from the large entrance to the mountain. She only wore her boots, trousers and sweater with one of the thick blankets she'd been given wrapped around her shoulders while holding the child close under it; she wasn't planning on wandering for long so she didn't have to worry about them freezing to death. She did however feel a sense of accomplishment in finding her way from the Dining Hall to the Entry Hall without going through the large double doors; instead she went through a narrow hallway that must have been the servant's route.

Snow blew inside the entry of the mountain kingdom, sticking to the cold marble floors easily and you could see the barest shadow of the two statues guarding the path inside the mountain. The snow bit her nose and she ducked her head into the semi-warm containments of her blanket to warm her hands and face with her breath; she smiled when she felt the sleeping child's soft cheek against hers.

She wasn't thinking about anything in particular, just random things like wondering what the maids were doing while they were gone and if the bite-mark the orc had left would leave a scar. She shuddered at the thought of the said orc, she assumed that Legolas killed him but small traces of fear allowed her mind a bit of doubt.

No one seemed to be around, not even the dwarves on watch and Lian was thankful for that; privacy was something she needed right then after having to hold in all her pent up emotions despite the small moments of tears. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest but not nearly as much since her father was alive; she never pictured the man dying under the age of eighty so it would have been a real kick to the gut if he died at only age forty-one. At least if he was eighty she would know that he lived a full life and got to see his grandchildren.

Lian looked out at the raging storm, shivering the wind seeped its claws into her flesh through her clothes. She knew that once the storm settled that they'd need about two days to collect themselves and maybe help everyone with collecting the bodies of the deceased. It made her sad to have to leave but she had been away from home long enough; she had no other logical reason to stay with the dwarves anymore. Some would take this as a good time to cry but she didn't want to cry anymore; she felt so tired and she'd already cried so much already over so many things that if made her feel so…weak.

She knew that she shouldn't feel ashamed of shedding tears over her loved ones but she had cried over so much more than that and it was unnerving; usually she saved up her tears for just one big crying spree in the night. Why couldn't she be strong like Stevvin and hold in her tears? Why couldn't she control how she felt? Why can't she be the one that people lean on?

She let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the sleeping child that lay curled up against her breast; she couldn't deny the love she felt swell inside her every time she was with the child, it was almost as strong as her love for Thorin. The child soothed her just as Lian seemed to soothe her.

She traced a pale finger through the infants deep red curls, marveling at the vivid color and it reminded her of the bright rowan berries she'd seen along their journey. Oin had pointed them out to her and said it the berries were used for dyeing as well as tanning animal hides, he also told her that they were eatable but it would be unwise to eat one of fruits straight off the tree; they needed to be dried first or else they'd make you sick.

"Rowan." She said, testing the word on her tongue as she fingered the fine curls, it had a nice ring to it and her hair certainly seemed to resemble the fruit. The word rowan also meant 'red' as well and it seemed to fit nicely the more she thought about it.

"Rowan." She said it again, this time with a small smile as she looked down at the child she was to take as her own and raise; a feeling of accomplishment settling in now that she had decided on a name for the child. She felt a burst of excitement run away all her deepest worries and she leapt to her feet, twirling as she held the child close.

"Yer my beautiful baby girl now; I'll love ya and care for ya as much as I possibly can." Lian sighed out happily; she was happy in that moment and she knew then that she'd be alright. She would have to go back home but she would never forget her time with the dwarves; she was grateful that she went on this journey and got to experience so many new things.

"When the sun rises in the East I'll know my love has come to take me away beyond the hills and far towards the north. Then when the sun shall set in the West, I'll kiss my love goodbye; because dusk has come to carry me back into the night sky."

She sang the old tale as she twirled and swayed; the song was about a star that fell in love with a man but she could only see the man in the day when she turned into a human. She did not sleep like the other stars in the day but instead chose to be with her beloved; if she is to fall asleep in the day while human then she'll turn to star dust. Lian always loved the song, it was one that she would always sing carelessly when she was on her own; she was envious of the kind of love that would drive someone to face the danger of disappearance every day.

"I do not need sleep when I can live my dreams out in the day, so I wait from dusk to dawn once more so I can see my love again. I'll twinkle in the night. Sweet kisses in the light. My love I'll always light up for ya, may it be day or night."

"Years have passed and my love has grown old but still he comes for me at dawn, then one day I lie in his arms and close my eyes for good. I fade into star dust in his arms and know my love will follow soon."

She kissed Rowan on the forehead tenderly while she swayed lightly and everything was peaceful in that moment as she slowly climbed the stairs.

"So watch the twinkle in the night and share kisses in the light; cause love will always carry ya to blissful dreams beyond.

How Rowan's feeling right now: (ఠ్ఠ ˓̭ ఠ్ఠ)- Staph spinning!