Well, we're slowly edging towards the end now, but I've still got another few chapters before this is actually over. Bilbo's finally gotten his place in the company, more or less, and the others will probably warm up to him too by the end. Anyway, on we go, and enjoy! :)

Thorin really couldn't have wished for a better company. They'd left Rivendell not even an hour ago, and yet, he found that they were making extremely good time. Maybe they would reach the mountain in time for Durin's day after all. After making sure Master Baggins was well among them, true, he had started growing a little more fond of the hobbit even if he wouldn't admit it to anybody, they managed to leave the elf kingdom behind them, and reenter the wilderness once more.

His friends were all keeping up, and that included Fili. Sparing a glance backwards, Thorin was glad to see that his nephew was somewhere in the middle of the line they'd formed, and not dragging at their tale, Bilbo next to him. True, he'd managed to get his nephew to eat something small this morning, even if the lad had been a bit reluctant, but Thorin knew he was far from being fully recovered. Gandalf had even said that there was a possibility of him never recovering. The dwarf king didn't want believe him though, he had faith in Fili, and he knew that with time, his nephew would get better, he was a son of Durin after all, and the sons of Durin didn't go down without putting up a fight first.

Although they were still walking among trees and plains, Thorin was glad to see mountains in the distance. Up till now, his quest had seemed vague, it had only been some sort of idea, but seeing the mountains rise up in front of him, it made it that more real, and he finally started believing that maybe, just maybe, they would be able to reclaim their homeland. True, it might not have meant very much for those who had never experienced living in Erebor, like Ori or his nephews, who had grown up in the Blue Mountains, but it had never really been home for them. Thorin wanted to do right by them, and offer them a place they could claim as their own, a place where they could finally live in peace, without scornful looks betraying words like You don't belong here! Or Go back to your bloody mountain and get roasted by Smaug, See if I care!

Although the dwarves of the Blue Mountains had never hurt them, physically, he knew they didn't spare a mean comment to his two nephews when they could. In their younger days, Thorin had often had to open his arms to a crying dwarfling, who would be sniffling things about not belonging here or repeating hurtful words others had told them. True, for a long time Thorin, Kili and Fili had never found a place they felt they belonged in, they'd never had a home, and living without one had been difficult, but they'd all pulled through, even in the harder times. However, he wanted to offer his nephews a home, reclaim what was rightfully theirs, because nobody ever deserves to have to live on not belonging anywhere, no matter what race they came from.

Looking behind once more, he made sure to account all their members presence, including the Halfling. He wasn't overly attached to Bilbo, but for one of the first times since the party in Bag End, he was glad the hobbit was with them. True, Mister Baggins wasn't such a bad soul after all, indeed he was quite a merry fellow once he felt at ease with everybody. Even dwarves like Dwalin or Nori were more inclined to speak to him now. Thorin felt a slight bit of remorse, not being able to talk as casually to their most recent member, like the others did. The Halfling had grown on him, and he found himself admitting that maybe Gandalf's idea hadn't been that bad after all.

Besides, Mister Baggins had proven himself time and time again. They had already crossed many situations in which the hobbit could have just turned around and ran straight back to the comfort of his own home, where he could have dwelled on the bad things happening to him, but he didn't. Instead, Mister Baggins had done what he didn't, he looked out for the others, he didn't complain, he never argued, and he talked with almost every dwarf in the company, safe for himself.

Thorin wanted to thank the hobbit, but couldn't bring himself to.

He knew it was thanks' to Bilbo that he'd finally set his quest aside to see to his nephew, who needed others right now. Thorin didn't want to admit it, but he probably would have continued on, and never noticed Fili's state until it would have been too late to do anything about it, had Bilbo not alerted him.

He knew Bilbo also thought he blamed him for Fili's condition, even if Fili himself had told him not to accuse Bilbo for what he'd done. True, Thorin really wanted to hold the hobbit accountable for his nephew's suffering, he really had wanted to, at least. But he knew it was wrong.

Yes, he'd been jealous when he'd seen his blonde nephew look out for their troublesome burglar, he'd wanted Fili to ride close to him, as he was his own flesh and blood. It had hurt him to see the blonde choose a stranger over kin, but maybe Bilbo wasn't such a stranger after all, not anymore. And maybe he could start understanding Fili's want to be around Bilbo. The hobbit had never been accustomed to the dwarven way, he didn't see in Fili a crown prince, a son or a brother, no he just saw a possible friend, and since he'd left his home in the Shire, that's all Bilbo had really wanted, a friend. And Thorin realized that maybe that difference was what Fili had needed all along. He wouldn't feel the pressure he dealt with his family around Bilbo, he knew the hobbit wasn't expecting anything from him (excluding maybe a good companion, but that wasn't too taxing a request) and the change was probably what had drawn Fili to him, the fact that Bilbo wasn't a dwarf, and so had no idea of how they would react or talk, the fact that he was simply, well Bilbo, was all that his nephew had needed.

He liked to think the company as some form of family, after all, they all looked out for each other, even if they weren't related by blood. He knew that even Dwalin or Nori, who would be among the last of them to display any kind of affections, cared for the others somewhere within them. At the start, he hadn't wanted to open up this family to accept the hobbit, he hadn't wanted Bilbo to share this bond they all had, but now, he found himself not quite as reluctant at the idea of it. Bilbo had well earned his place among them, he'd proven he cared for all the members, from the unique Bifur to the small Ori, and maybe it was up to him now to welcome Bilbo.

Their walk stretched through mountains and enormous rocks, with waterfalls here and high cliffs there. It wasn't easy, especially carrying the amount of supplies they needed, but Thorin had shared them out equally, even giving some to Fili, who had flat out refused to be spared anything because of his condition. Although Thorin had been vehemently opposed, he'd finally given in, allowing his nephew to bear the weight of a few spades and light bags, anything that he didn't judge too heavy. He knew Fili was trying to not let the others think he was getting a special treatment by not having to carry anything, and he was trying to prove to his uncle that he could do this despite his state, but Thorin didn't want to take any risks, he'd taken too many of them already. Still, the leader hadn't stayed at the back with him. He wanted to, but he knew his place was at the front, and that staying behind with Fili would only make the lad embarrassed, thinking the others would judge him as weak. He was weak, Thorin knew he wasn't even close to being fully recovered, but he allowed his nephew to deal with it in the way he chose, promising to himself that if ever the lad were to take too drastic a measure, he'd help him out, like any uncle should towards his family.

Fili was having a hard time walking between Bofur, Bilbo and Nori, but he refused to let it show, he'd caused the others enough trouble already. Looking up, he could see that although the packs were also weighing him down, Bilbo and even Kili seemed to be pulling out better, and Kili was his younger brother, not by much, but he was still younger. Anything Kili could do, he should also have been able to do, well except using a bow and arrow. The blonde was suddenly realizing just how much strength he'd lost by refusing any meals. He hadn't thought it something to be concerned about, at least not when this fear of his had started all those months ago, but now, seeing people like Ori and Balin, both one of the youngest and the eldest, being in a fitter state than himself, who should be among the healthiest, made him realize that he'd lost a lot, if not all, the strength he once possessed.

The realization startled Fili, and it scared him. He was a swordsman, how was he supposed to wield his weapons if he couldn't even pick them up? How was he possibly going to be able to look out for Bilbo if he couldn't even look out for himself anymore? Inside, he'd started panicking. He couldn't constantly rely on the others to get him out of trouble, they had themselves to think about too. The reality of his situation hurt, even more so when he could feel his twin blades giving the occasional light bang! against his back. He was a swordsman, but could not wield his blades. He couldn't really do anything anymore, and it devastated him. What was Thorin thinking of him? How could Thorin have faith in a nephew who couldn't fight? How could a king put the future of his realm in the hands of an heir who couldn't do anything?

The blonde bit his lip, hard, even wishing for it to bleed. He hadn't thought of this at all when he'd skipped dinner after dinner, he hadn't thought of the consequences at all really, he'd just been thinking about Bilbo. But now they were emerging, one by one, slowly making Fili doubt he could ever fit in Thorin's shoes. After all, his father had always said that Kili would make a much better king, everybody had. With his light heartedness and his enthusiasm, his little brother was better at everything they did, safe for sword fighting. Kili had always had a better hand at writing, a better voice for politics and speeches, a better temperament when dealing with difficult situations, just being Kili was enough to draw people to him, it was just in him. When he'd been slightly younger, Fili had been a little jealous, seeing the special bond between his brother and their father, a bond he'd never had. Oh he had spied on them, at times, especially during Kili's archery lessons, where their father would show himself most supportive of his little brother's improvements.

He could still see himself, hiding behind some pillar, watching as their father encouraged his darker haired brother with his aim, correcting his stand with little jokes, even moving together, as both were smiling. It hurt, a lot. His parent had never shown him any of that affection, instead correcting him and expecting nothing less than perfection, not even teaching him how to sword fight himself, he'd gotten a teacher for it. At the time, he'd wanted to cry out how unfair it was, but his father's words kept ringing in his head that A king should always put others before himself. And so he did. If this bond between Kili and their father made the younger brother happy, Fili would never break it, even if it hurt.

Looking down at himself, he could see how his clothes hung loosely on his frame. His brown coat, a parting gift from his dear mother when he'd left the Blue Mountains, had been only slightly too big for him back then. Now, he was almost swimming inside of it, and it felt heavy, but he would not make himself leave it, not if he could help it.

He'd come to realize that he probably didn't look much like a dwarf at all anymore. His race was heavy, strong, and took pride in their body, generally full of muscles and strength they could show off and use when fighting. Fili didn't have any of that anymore, being just skin on bones. What would Mother say if she could see him now? What would Father think? He grew terrified at the thought, knowing he would probably be disowned or get to know a similar fate, should he return home looking like this.

But he couldn't help it. He'd grown afraid of food and anything to do with it. Fili realized he'd only been hiding his anxieties and using Bilbo as an excuse, because making himself think of the hobbit made him forget his fear of meals, and he'd let himself go with the idea.

Though Bilbo had been an excuse at the start, as they had been moving on, Fili had found himself liking the hobbit, and wanting to look out for him. Giving him his meals had gone from dealing with his fears to make sure that Bilbo had what he needed to be comfortable, to feel welcome among this brotherhood of dwarves. Fili had wanted to be Bilbo's friend, and it had been the only way he'd seen to gain the hobbit's trust and friendship. Growing up knowing something had always been expected of him, having the hobbit as a friend had been no different, Fili had never thought he could just be friends with him, like that, there had to be something he had to do in order for Bilbo to count as a friend. However, Bilbo hadn't asked or requested anything of him, and Fili had just gone with the idea that looking out for him would suffice. However, where he'd seen in Bilbo only a means to escape dinners, dealing with a growing feeling of robbery when he did attend them, now he was actually glad for Bilbo speaking to Thorin and saw in the hobbit a friend, a friend who maybe, just maybe, felt like looking out for the disgrace he was to the Durin line.

The more they'd went on, the worse his problem had become, until he could no longer even see himself being served a small bowl of soup without feeling guilty, without directly looking at Bilbo, thinking he ought to be entitled to it, the incident with the ponies had reminded him of that. Of course, Fili had felt trapped back then, he'd felt as if he shouldn't be there, among the others, who all deserved so much better than him, but Bilbo had proven him wrong. So had Thorin, when he'd discovered his little problem in Rivendell. Even the others, while not saying anything, had made Fili realize that he was actually wanted here, that he could stay among them.

At first, Fili had been ashamed, when his Uncle had all but said I know… He was sure he could see how disappointed Thorin was in him, but nevertheless, he'd said they'd work at making this better, and when he'd went to the others to share the first meal he must have had in… well ages, he'd been so relieved that they hadn't said anything to him, he'd felt so grateful that they still accepted him as a part of their company, still wanted him. Even Bilbo hadn't thrown away their friendship because of his foolish actions, the hobbit had even asked if they could remain friends. Maybe, if he could heal, he could finally find a place for himself among them once more. Maybe Fili could still allow himself to hope…