Wow! I am amazed at all of the feedback I've gotten so far! :D I guess I shouldn't be entirely surprised, since a lot of people read my first story and have been waiting for the second part, but still, it's just amazing how much support I've been getting and I appreciate it so much! :D Thank you all!

So, with that, enjoy this new chapter and all the new twists it will bring ;D

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There was a buzzing sound right by her head and then something prickling her nose and her face. Aira stirred at the unusual sensation and her eyes fluttered open to find a pair of black, bulgy eyes eyes looking right at her. Startled, she jumped and sat up onto her elbow and realized that a giant bumblebee had landed on her face and was now flying away. Then she watched as another one by her head came down and landed lightly on her shoulder. It lingered there for a brief moment before flying off. She had never seen such huge bees before!

She looked behind her to see that Kili wasn't there next to her. Looking around, she noticed that none of the others were nearby and she began to wonder where everyone was.

It didn't last long, however, as she heard a shuffle next to her and she turned to see a pair of boots standing in front of her. Aira's gaze lifted as she saw Bofur kneel down by her, with his normal bright, happy grin on his face.

"Get up, lazybones," he said to her cheerfully, giving her a gentle shake, "or there will be no breakfast left for you!"

As he helped her up to her feet, she asked, "How long have the rest of you been up?"

Bofur answered with a shrug as they made their way to the table, "I myself haven't been up very long, I don't know about everyone else. However, I would wager Thorin and Gandalf have been up longer than the rest of us." He began to make his way over to the right side of the table and sat down between Dwalin and Nori.

Aira noticed Thorin by a pillar behind the end of the table, standing in his normal stance with his arms folded tightly across his chest. He glanced her way as she came to the table and grinned pleasantly at her as she took her expected place between Fili and Kili.

The table was bigger than any normal size one, which made her feel smaller than usual. On the table she saw plates of cheese and bread as well as bowls of porridge made of oats and berries, which mainly Bifur was eating, and a large basin of honey, which Aira assumed came from the bees that were buzzing around. From where she was, on the left side of the table were Bifur, Oin, Gloin and Bilbo and Balin was sitting on a stone bench on the side of the room. Then on the right were Dwalin, Bofur, Nori and Dori and then Bombur and Ori sat on the other end. Gandalf sat in a chair off to the side close behind them.

"Why did you not wake me?" she whispered to Kili as he sat back down next to her, having let her onto the bench between him and his brother.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I just thought you could use a little extra rest." He then reached down, took her hand and then brought it up to his lips, planting a sweet kiss just below her knuckles.

Aira opened her mouth to respond, but then she heard the sound of liquid being poured next to her. She turned her head and there was Beorn standing by Fili, pouring some freshly-squeezed cow's milk into his large mug from a pitcher—which she noticed Fili was quite entertained watching—and then moving it over a mug that had been set for her and pouring her some milk as well. The skin-changer was, indeed, a large and tall man, wearing a simple light brown tunic and trousers. His skin was a medium-dark tan color and he had fluffed hair and a bushy beard and eyebrows which were a bit darker in color.

Briefly, the skin-changer met the young Dwarf woman's gaze. His eyes were brown, but they were bright; in his eyes there was a flicker of light in them that made them look kind and full of understanding. It was nice to see a more pleasant feature in his physical appearance, considering on the outside he appeared a bit intimidating.

The strangest thing was, as Aira continued to look at him, she kept having thoughts that Beorn looked familiar. Something deep in her mind was telling her that she had seen him before. But how was that possible? Just where and how would she ever have seen him when he lived in a place she had never been to? She kept asking herself these questions and trying to answer them with the fact that she actually hadn't ever seen him, but no matter what, there was a strange feeling that kept coming to her that said otherwise.

Just then, Beorn spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, to Thorin as he made his way down the table, "So you are the one they call 'Oakenshield'. Tell me…why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog?" Thorin replied flatly. He shot Beorn a wary look. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains…before the Orcs came down from the North," Beorn answered him, the tone in his voice becoming rather sad, as he slowly paced to the other side of the room. "The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved…not for work, you understand…but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." He stopped moving and began to pour milk into Ori's mug.

Then Bilbo asked, curious, "There are others like you?"

Beorn barely nodded as he replied, "Once, there were many."

"And now…?"

"Now, there is only one."

Right away, there was an uncomfortable silence in the air as the Dwarves caught on to Beorn's hint: that he was the last of his kind.

However, he continued, "I had been one of Azog's captives for some time, years ago…and I believe that there is another among us here who was once a slave, as well, to the pale Orc."

His gaze drifted to the end of the table along with the rest of the Dwarves, who were all now a bit curious, over to the one person they knew that pertained to.

Immediately, Aira knew all eyes were on her, but that wasn't what she was concerned about. What concerned her was how Beorn knew that she had been Azog's slave once. She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. How in the world did he know?

But then, suddenly, she realized why she thought she recognized him; the reason of how he knew of her past.

Standing up from the bench, she exclaimed, "I knew I recognized your face!"

The others looked at her, perplexed.

"You know him?" asked Dwalin.

"Not directly," Aira answered, "but I have seen him before. I remember catching glimpses of him from a distance every now and then." She looked around at the rest of the company and said, "Beorn was a slave to Azog around the same time that I was."

Everyone's eyes widened a bit at this new revelation and they all glanced back and forth between the Dwarf-woman and the skin-changer.

"I remember seeing you, as well, young one," said Beorn. Then his eyebrows rose slightly. "I also remember that you were the one who helped me escape."

All eyes grew even larger than they had been a moment before and everyone turned to Aira in wonder.

However, she appeared just as startled as everyone else and her eyes narrowed at the large man. "How is that possible?" she asked, confused. "I think I would remember helping someone like you escape."

"Yes, but you forget…I am a skin-changer," Beorn replied, sounding a bit vague.

Aira thought back to her days in Gundabad, trying to figure out what he meant. She didn't free him, so what did him being a skin-changer have to do with what he was saying? She had never associated with any of the skin-changers Azog had captured, in either human or animal form.

"However, there was that one incident…," she thought to herself.

And then, it hit her.

"That was you?!" she exclaimed, completely surprised, and Beorn nodded graciously in response.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" asked Thorin behind her.

This time, Beorn took the time to explain the story to them. "A few years ago, I was being whipped and tortured for Azog's amusement, as I normally was," he began, "and, in a fit of blind rage, I broke free from my chains and began to run through the fortress of Gundabad, taking out any Orcs in my path. I came to an area where some of the slaves were working and they all scattered and fled. However…," He gestured to Aira. "…this young Dwarf-woman did not."

Then Aira took over as she went on to say, "I knew of the few skin-changers Azog had and were torturing. Sometimes I could hear their anguished cries down the corridors and I felt such sorrow for them. They were getting tortured more and in worse ways than most of us slaves were. In seeing that one of them had broken free, I thought I would lead him away from the other slaves so no one would get hurt and so I could set him free. I jumped out and distracted him, leading him on a chase through the corridors towards the main entrance to the fortress. I never had to deal with any Orcs because the bear chasing me scared them off.

"He cornered me by the entrance and, even though I questioned whether or not he could actually understand me, I told him that I was going to set him free. I had led him there on purpose and it was his only chance to get away. It seemed that he did understand me because he then backed away and broke through the gates and started running."

Then she glanced thoughtfully over at Beorn. "I remember the bear stopping and turning to look back at me after he broke through. To my dismay, I could not get away with him because dozens of Orcs caught up with us and took me away while others chased after him…but I remember seeing a very sad yet grateful look in its eyes, even from a distance."

There was a small trace of a grin on Beorn's face as he too remembered that moment and gave Aira a small bow of his head.

She then spoke directly to him, in a friendly voice, "I was happy to see you go…to see you gain your freedom again. You deserved it more than I did."

Beorn nodded his head to her again in gratitude. He then looked to the rest of the company and said to them, "While it was long ago, your friend is the reason I am here."

There was a moment of silence; not a word was said. The others were all too stunned or enamored by the tale they had just been told and simply looked to one another in astonishment.

Aira slowly sat back down on the bench and, for some reason, kept her gaze lowered. She was hoping that everyone else was silent for a good reason. But then her hopes were confirmed when she felt both of her hands being taken by Fili and Kili on either side of her and, when she looked up to glance at them, they both were grinning proudly at her, which caused her to grin back as they let go.

Finally, Beorn broke the silence by turning to Gandalf next to him and stating, "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn."

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," the wizard confirmed.

"You are running out of time," Beorn said back, more as a warning than a statement.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood," Gandalf replied.

Aira's hands clenched tightly on her lap at the mention of that place, knowing of the people that lived there; the Elves that Thorin had told her about growing up that had betrayed him and his people when Smaug came. All her life, she had never been as prejudiced about all Elvenkind as Thorin was, but she knew her opinion of the Mirkwood Elves was akin to his.

But then, Beorn spoke again, with a deep, cautious tone in his gravelly voice, "A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Goldur. I would not venture there…except in great need."

Gandalf, even though he looked quite troubled about what Beorn was speaking of, said to counter, "We will take the Elven road. Their path is still safe."

Aira scoffed quietly. "Safe?" she thought to herself. "Don't be a fool, Gandalf. For Dwarves like us, nothing would be safe in that forest…!"

Behind her, Aira heard Thorin let out a low, irritated sigh and she saw him move away from the pillar out of the corner of her eye. He had no desire to take that path in the first place. She knew that would not sit well with him and frankly, it didn't sit well with her, either.

"Safe?" said Beorn. "The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise…and more dangerous…but it matters not."

Thorin turned back around and stared back at Beorn, concerned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs…," Beorn ominously explained, "Their numbers are growing…and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive…."

Keeping his eyes on the Dwarf King, the skin-changer stood up from where he sat and began to slowly walk towards him around the table. "I don't like Dwarves…," he stated almost threateningly. "They're greedy…and blind…; blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He was beginning to sound angry and just a tad menacing, which worried the company.

He looked down as he heard a small squeak from a little white mouse that was crawling on the table over Bofur's arm, which he had swatted off. Beorn reached out and scooped the mouse into his large hand. From the look he had on his face as he stared down at the rodent, everyone feared he was going to squish the little thing with his bare hand.

Thorin boldly stood his ground as Beorn approached him, mentally preparing himself to be ready in case the large man attempted to do anything to him.

But then Beorn looked back up at him and declared gruffly, "But Orcs, I hate more."

The tension that could be felt in the atmosphere died down in that moment and everyone silently breathed sighs of relief, thinking that Beorn was about to turn on them from his words about Dwarves.

"And I have come to find that not all Dwarves are the same…for I owe my life to one." Beorn then turned his head to look down at Aira, who stared back at him wide-eyed. His arm extended out towards her and his hand opened up, offering the tiny white mouse to her.

A little perplexed, Aira lifted her hands and cupped them together as the mouse crawled out of Beorn's hand and onto her own. The small creature began to sniff her hand curiously.

She was a bit confused, at first, by this offer, but when she looked back up at him, she could see a significant gleam in his eyes. In seeing this, she realized that what he had just done meant something; that it was important from his point of view. She then understood that his gesture wasn't just handing off a harmless rodent. It was an offer of friendship; of peace between him and the company, even though he did not take well to their kind. He was willing to help them…and, apparently, her actions from years past had had some influence on his decision, which somehow surprised her, but she was thankful for it, nonetheless.

After Aira gave him a kind and grateful smile, Beorn turned back to Thorin and asked him, "What do you need?"

After eating a little breakfast, Aira decided to get a little fresh air while the others either spent a little time relaxing or smoking. Thorin, Gandalf and Beorn were discussing their plans and the things they would need to reach Mirkwood.

She wandered around outside, breathing in the fresh, clean air, and feeling the warm sun on her face. Everything around the house was green and beautiful. She could see that Beorn took great care of his lands.

Then she came to a field behind the house and heard the sounds of horses nearby. Aira looked to the distance and saw a herd of black and white ponies trotting and cantering around, neighing happily and waving their manes around. They seemed content and free and Aira couldn't help but smile and laugh a little to herself at the sight.

Seeing them made her think about Vega, the pony that Thorin had gotten for her when she was younger. Oh, how she missed her! When the company had first discovered they were being hunted, back in the in the Trollshaws, all of their ponies had bolted in alarm after hearing the Wargs nearby, Vega included. It was sad to Aira that her dear pony was gone. Only Mahal knew where the sweet creature was now. Aira hoped that, wherever Vega was, she was safe and well.

Just then, she heard heavy footsteps approaching behind her. She twisted around and found Beorn coming up next to her, gazing out at the prancing ponies.

"I have raised every one of those ponies since they were little foals," he told her, crossing his arms across his chest as he stopped to stand beside her. "Mind you, they are wild ponies and I do not keep them in a corral. They are free to roam where they wish…but, they all still know me as their master and they continue to stay here."

Aira nodded, interested by that bit of information. "They're very beautiful," she replied politely.

There was a brief silence between them until Beorn said to Aira, "After you set me free, I never thought I would get the chance to properly thank you."

She glanced up at him in wonder. He was staring at her with a soft expression on his face.

"However, I cannot offer my thanks without first knowing your name."

Aira smiled. "My name is Airaním."

"Well, thank you for saving my life…Airaním."

"You're welcome. I did what anyone else would've done."

"For one so young…you are very brave. Not just because you helped free me years ago and defied the pale Orc, in a way. This quest you are a part of is very dangerous…but I can see in your eyes that you are not afraid."

At that comment, Aira let out a quiet breath, lowered her gaze and shook her head. "If there's one thing I learned from my experience with Azog," she told him, "it is to disguise my true emotions when I want to. I may appear fearless on the outside, but deep down inside…I am terrified."

Her voice started to faintly tremor as she looked back up at him. "With every step further we take towards the mountain, I grow more and more afraid. There are many more dangers out there ahead of us. I am not just afraid for myself; I am afraid for my friends and my family and what could possibly happen to them…every one of them means the world to me and I have an obligation to protect them. Especially Thorin and his nephews, for they are my family. I fear the most for them…."

Aira turned her gaze and looked down to the ground, afraid that she would cry if she went on and not wanting to Beorn to see. But then she felt his hand on her shoulder and she slowly looked back up at him. His brown eyes were gentle; full of care and understanding as they looked down at her. She could then see clearly in her mind the eyes of the mighty bear she had freed all those years ago.

Then, giving her shoulder a light pat, he calmly said to her, "It is only natural for you to be fearful of the future…but know this, little one: without fear, there could be no bravery or courage…for fear is the seed from which those things grow."

Beorn's words touched something inside of Aira that made her feel stronger and braver in that one moment. She had never looked at fear or bravery in that way before. Now, it was as if her eyes had been opened to something she never knew.

"I had never thought of it that way…," she admitted. "Thank you, Beorn."

She then heard the sound of Thorin calling her name back from the front of the house.

"Go on," Beorn urged her. "You are being summoned. I will get the ponies ready for all of you."

With that, Aira spun on her heel, jogged back to the front gate and went back into the house where she found the company all standing around, packing up the rest of their belongings and just waiting around.

"You called for me?" Aira asked Thorin as she approached him.

He was putting on his fur and leather coat as she came up to him. "Aye," he answered, "we are almost ready to depart. We are only waiting on Beorn to prepare the ponies he is lending us."

"I was just with him. He is readying them right now."

Thorin then looked to her, his expression turning a little more serious. "I need to speak with you," he said to her, gesturing to the open doors.

Aira wasn't sure whether to be concerned or not, but she walked over to the doors with Thorin right behind her. They moved over to the side where the company couldn't see them.

"What is it? Is everything all right?" she asked him.

His somber expression diminished right away. "I have something I wish to give to you," he replied.

Aira tilted her head to the side, curious. "What is it?"

"Close your eyes," Thorin told her softly, avoiding her question.

Willingly, she obeyed him. She closed her eyes and stood in place, waiting patiently. She could hear small noises that sounded like his clothes and armor rustling and then the sound of Thorin's footsteps moving around her until he was right behind her. She jumped slightly when she felt him tie something around her neck and then a somewhat weighty object slid down her chest. Aira lifted up a hand and then, slowly, she curled her fingers around the object. She found that it felt slender, cylindrical; it expanded on one end and then had a point jutting out on the other. From the texture, she concluded that it was made of stone.

Suddenly, she froze and her heart stopped. "No…!" she thought, astounded. "Did he just…? No, it can't be…he wouldn't!"

Hesitantly, Aira opened her eyes and lowered her gaze down to the object in her hand that was now hanging around her neck on a leather cord. Upon seeing what Thorin had just given her, she gasped, shocked, and her other hand flew up to her heart.

"The key to Erebor!" she breathily exclaimed. Her head shot up, her eyes wide in confusion, and she looked at Thorin, who was exuding both pride and contentment in his appearance as he looked back at her.

"I don't understand…," she said, bewildered, "…why are you giving this to me? I can't take this…it's too valuable! This belongs to you; your father meant for you to have this!"

As she tried to lift the cord over her head, he gently took hold of her wrists, lowered them back down to her sides and responded calmly, "And as your father, I am now giving it to you."

Strangely, his statement sort of startled her. Obviously, she knew that their bond; their relationship was special and meant a great deal to both of them…but Aira then supposed that perhaps she hadn't quite fathomed the extent of how important it was to Thorin. Here he was giving her what had to be his most prized possession because she was his daughter…but why?

Thorin was glancing at her, puzzled, and Aira assumed she probably had a pretty startled look on her face.

"We sealed this bond between us back on Carrock, did we not?" he asked. His question seemed to be asked more as a reminder to her of what had transpired only a few days ago, but she could hear a slight trace of worry in his voice, as if he was starting to fear that his assumption of how deep he thought their bond went was wrong.

"Yes, we did," she responded with a reassuring tone in her voice.

He let out a small sigh. "I have given this much thought since then," he told her. "Yes, it is valuable, and that is precisely why I am giving it to you. My decision was made when Gandalf first informed me that we must go through Mirkwood. You know who dwells there…."

There was an obvious sound of contempt as Thorin made that statement and Aira completely understood. "Of course, I do," she replied.

He continued firmly, "I do not know what things we will encounter in that forest…but I fear that the Elves will be one of them. If they find us, it will not take them long to discern who I am and, once they do, we will surely be captured and I can imagine they will take me to the Elvenking." He spoke the title of the Elf King with great disgust, but then continued, "He, I know will try to stop this quest. That is why I cannot risk him or any of the Elves finding the key, because I am sure we would be searched if captured."

"What makes you think the key will be safer with me?"

"Dwarves fiercely protect their women, no matter what. The Elves would not dare to lay a finger on you with so many other Dwarf-men around you. But that is not the main reason why I wish for you to have it…."

Thorin took a step towards Aira and lifted one of his calloused hands to her hand which held the key and cradled the back of it it in his palm. Then he brought his other hand up and lowered his fingers over hers, tenderly making them curl back around the key. He kept their hands like this and gently grasped it.

Looking proudly into her brown eyes, he said to her, "Aira, you have shown your courage time and time again on this quest. You have put yourself in harm's way to protect the lives of those in this company, including my own. You even did the same years ago in saving Beorn's life and now, because of your actions, he is willing to help us, even if he despises our kind. You, Airaním, are the only one whom I trust wholeheartedly with this key because I know that, just as you fight to protect those you love, you will fight to keep such a valuable item safe. If the Elves find us, I'll feel more at peace, despite whatever the outcome will be, knowing that my most prized possession will not fall into the wrong hands because it is in the right ones."

Thorin then gave her a confident grin and Aira, after all his words, felt overwhelmed by the absolute faith he had in her and was speechless. Her heart was pounding like mad against her chest. She couldn't help but feel pressured by the burden he was bestowing upon her, but after hearing everything he had just said to her, she realized that carrying the key to the Lonely Mountain was not a burden. It was a privilege; one that Thorin had deemed her worthy of receiving. She no longer felt worried, but rather, she felt honored that he trusted her that much.

Thorin gave her hand, still clutching the key, a tight yet gentle squeeze. "I believe in you, Aira," he declared, "and I am confident in my decision. I believe in you and I trust you." He lifted her hand to his mouth and quickly kissed the back of her fingers. "The key is yours…guard it well, my nathith." (daughter)

For a moment, all Aira could do was stare at him, bewildered, but then she found her voice again and replied in a strong voice, "I will…I promise, 'Adad." (Father)

The Dwarf-King and his daughter then shared a firm, loving embrace.

As they pulled apart, Beorn came to the gate and informed them that the ponies were prepared for their departure. Thorin called inside to the rest of the company, telling them that it was time for them to leave, and they all filed out of the house. Unfortunately, Beorn didn't have enough ponies for everyone, so some of them had to double up. Bofur and Gloin were riding together and Aira was, naturally, riding with Kili.

Just as Aira climbed up into the saddle behind Kili, Beorn began to walk past them. She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder, making him stop to look at her.

"Thank you again for your help, Beorn," she said to him kindly. "I pray that we will meet again someday."

"As do I, little one," the skin-changer replied as he reached up and ruffled the Dwarf-woman's curly auburn locks, making her snicker.

Beorn then stepped back and said to the remainder of the company, "Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind."

Not needing to be told twice, the company all urged their horses onward and began to ride away.

Aira stole one last glance behind her at Beorn and waved goodbye. After watching him wave back, she wrapped her arms tightly around Kili's waist, signaling to him that she was ready. He gave the pony a firm nudge in the sides and they rode off behind the rest of the company, leaving the home of Beorn, the skin-changer and making their way to the forest of Mirkwood.

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Now, how about all that? xD lol

Also, there was a little Easter egg (i think that's what it's called...) in this chapter: a line that was actually said in the chapter "Queer Lodgings" from the book! Bonus points to anyone who can tell me which line it was WITHOUT cheating ;) hehe!

Please do leave a review or send me a PM with your thoughts! As I've said, I love hearing from all of my readers :)