Once again, I'm surprised I wrote this one so quickly! xD I think it's cuz I'm sure some people would be after me if I didn't update soon, after the last chapter... ;)

There is a song in this chapter; the first song of Part 2! :D Now, I don't know how many people actually listen to the songs on the links I provide when Aira sings, but I would reeeeeaaalllly recommend that you listen to this one if you don't! The title of the song is the same as the chapter! :) Also, a couple of the words have been changed for the sole purpose of the story.

Once again, a huge thank you to ZabuzasGirl for finding this song and suggesting it! She's been waiting quite a while for this xD
( watch?v=akxi_oce0wA)

Forgive me if a couple things in this one are a little repetitive of the last ones... :P

Be prepared, but still enjoy!

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Bilbo's POV

A couple of days had passed since the Dwarves had been captured. After he had freed them from the spiders, Bilbo ended up being separated from the rest of the company and fought his own battle with a couple spiders. He noticed the Dwarves had been captures by Elves and he tried to follow them into the Woodland Realm, but unfortunately, the gate closed before he could get in. He tried to find a way in from the outside apart from the gate, but he could find no other way.

But he was not going to give up! He was a Baggins; he was not going to abandon his friends! Sooner or later, the Elves would have to open up their gates again and he would be ready to run in, with his ring on, naturally, to hide himself. Patiently, he waited on the outside of forest near the causeway.

The following day, the horns were sounded and a battalion of Elves once again ran through the gates, receiving word of more spiders inhabiting the forest. Once all of the Elves had cleared, Bilbo, with his ring on his finger, charged through the open gate just as it began to close.

Now, he was in.

"Now…to find the Dwarves!" he thought to himself, feeling proud that he had gotten inside. But then he stopped and thought, "No, wait! I need to find a way out of here first and then I'll go find them! That way, we can all get out of here once I free them!" To him, that seemed like a good plan.

Carefully, Bilbo started wandering over the wooden bridge and into the depths of the Woodland Realm. He meandered through different doors, halls and corridors, searching for a way to escape before going to find the Dwarves. He had a few near run-ins with some Elves walking around, but being a Hobbit, he was quick and light on his feet and was able to avoid running into anyone or being heard.

For how long he had been roaming around, he had no idea. A long time was all he could figure. Eventually he came to an entryway to a descending, winding staircase. He quietly walked down and peered around the corner as he approached the foot of the stairs. It appeared to be someone's chambers. He could see a few small tables with fire-lit lamps upon them, a larger one near the back that had a bottle of wine along with a couple glasses and a small pool of water on the opposite side. It was silent, so Bilbo assumed there was no one inside and began to creep forward.

Just then a figure stepped out from behind a pillar and a deep voice spoke, "I know you're there."

Bilbo froze in fear as the Elven figure looked in his direction. He had long, blonde hair that fell well below his shoulders and wore long, flowing silver robes. His hands were clasped together in front of him, holding something small between them. Judging from his appearance and demeanor, Bilbo supposed that this was Thranduil, the Elvenking he was staring at eye to eye.

"Why do you linger in the shadows?" Thranduil asked eerily, still eying him.

"How can he see me…? What do I do?" Bilbo thought, paranoid.

But then he heard footsteps behind him and a woman's voice replied, "I was coming to report to you."

He looked and saw the same red-haired Elf maiden who had helped capture the Dwarves come walking down the stairs past him and approach the Elvenking. She had clearly just returned from the spider venture in the forest. Bilbo let out a silent sigh of relief, realizing that he actually hadn't been seen.

"If I may ask, sire, what is that in your hands?" asked the woman.

Thranduil smugly grinned and revealed what it was he held. Bilbo had to cover his mouth to keep from crying out in shock.

It was Thorin's key. He couldn't believe it! How did the Elf get his hands on it? The Hobbit was too stunned to move, thinking that now, somehow, he had to get the key out of here.

"It is a key, Tauriel; something very valuable to Thorin Oakenshield," Thranduil replied, looking at the key greedily.

"The Dwarf you questioned?" Tauriel asked in response.

"Yes. The Dwarf girl who was with him was in possession of it and I confiscated it from her."

Bilbo's ears perked up and he was, once again, shocked. "Aira had the key? When did that happen?" he wondered.

Thranduil then turned and walked towards the table in the back of the room. There was a small, ornate box on top of it. He opened up the box and casually put the key inside of it.

"Perfect!" thought Bilbo gladly. He figured the two Elves were now going to leave and he would able to snatch the key and go.

However, the Elvenking walked back to the place he stood seconds ago and started talking to the Elven woman. "I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past?" he questioned.

"Oh, dear…!" the Hobbit now thought. He had to get the key; he had already lost much time, but the Elves weren't leaving. He decided he would have to very carefully try and take it without them noticing.

As he began tip-toeing towards the table, he heard Tauriel answer firmly, "We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord, but more spiders keep coming up from the South."

He then ignored them as their conversation regarding the spiders continued. He was too focused on getting the key out of the box and then getting out of the room as swiftly and silently as possible. He came up to the edge of the table and, after measuring the size of the box with his hands, carefully grabbed the lid with one hand and eased it ever slowly off the box, trying not to make a sound. Then, he gradually reached inside and his fingertips barely brushed the stone key.

He then heard Thranduil's voice declare, "The fortunes of the world will rise and fall…but here in this kingdom, we will endure."

Bilbo's fingers started to curl around the key, but in doing so, he caused it to bump against the side of the box, making a small thump noise and he stiffened fearfully as he looked over to his shoulder to see if he had been heard. Sure enough, the Elvenking's head was starting to turn his way. Bilbo hastily withdrew his hand from the box, placed the lid back on top without a sound and then stood in place, waiting for what the Elf was going to do next.

Fortunately, Thranduil simply looked around for a moment and then turned back to Tauriel to continue speaking to her.

Relieved, Bilbo started to inch his way towards an exit on the opposite side of the room.

"Oh, sticklebacks, I've got to find a way out here!" he thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs. "My friends are counting on me!"

Aira's POV

Down in the dungeons, the Dwarves were sitting around, having been stripped of some of their clothes, mainly coats and jackets, down to only their shirts and trousers and they were nothing but miserable in their state of imprisonment. Aira, most of all. After what Kili had said to her a couple days ago, she was heartbroken and felt no desire to speak to him or to anyone else. At times, she would briefly speak with Fili or to Thorin, but she would speak to no one else and the conversations she had with the two of them were very brief before she would retreat back to solitary. The other Dwarves—some before others—knew about Kili's condition, had heard what he had said and were angry about it as well as sorry for Aira, but they decided they wouldn't say anything to him. Anything the rest of them could say would be no different than what Aira and Fili were trying to do.

Aira's world was just falling apart, what with her fiancée losing his memories and then wanting nothing to do with her, losing her father's key to the one person who never should have found it and then being locked up in that person's dungeons, most likely never to get out again.

The rest of the company was asleep, but Aira sat in her corner, still awake, running her thumb over a ring on her finger: a silver ring with a single sapphire surrounded by four smaller emeralds. The ring Kili had given to her as a gift in Rivendell. He had given it to her shortly after they had confessed their love for each other. Everything had seemed so perfect then.

Staring down at the ring, she couldn't help but think of how everything was tumbling down.

Their quest was going to fail and her One would never love her again…and it was all her fault.

Those were the despondent thoughts that kept going through her mind as she sat in the back corner of her cell. How did it come to this? What had she done to deserve any of this guilt and pain?

Now, she would never hear the sound of Kili's tender voice telling her that she was his best friend, that she was the most beautiful Dwarf-woman he ever knew, that her eyes shone brighter than any jewel hidden beneath the earth. She would never again hear him say their phrase, "You are all I need to be with forevermore."

She also remembered multiple things Kili had said to her on occasion over the span of their journey that made her heart wrench:

"There is nothing…nothing in this entire world that could ever change how I feel about you! I love you…I always have and I always will…there is no power in the world that could make me forget that….

"You mean everything to me, Aira. I care for you to the deepest part of my soul. I will always be with you and will protect you, no matter what. Do not ever think that there is anything that will make me question my love for you in any way, because there is no power in all of Middle-Earth that will ever cause me to do so. I love you with all that I am and my heart belongs to you. It always has."

Aira felt as if the gods had heard Kili make those statements, simply laughed at them and then set out to ruin her life.

"No power in Middle-Earth could make you forget you love me…," she mumbled in a low voice out loud to herself, pretending like she was speaking to Kili, "…except the power of a cursed and diseased Elven forest…!"

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching and caught a glimpse of Tauriel, the female Elven guard walking by. Immediately, her stomach started to turn. She was unsure what to think of Tauriel. Even though she had helped capture them, she had saved Kili's life from the spiders and she seemed to be slightly more merciful to the Dwarves. She came by from time to time over the last couple days to check on them and she would offer them small portions of food, sliding them underneath the doors into the cells. That made Aira curious…however, she also noticed how Kili watched the Elf whenever she walked by and it made her blood boil. She swore once she caught Tauriel looking back at him and she had to try her best not to scream.

In seeing Tauriel walk by, Aira quietly moved towards the door of her cell to see what was going on. Sure enough, the Elf walked over to Kili's cell, where Aira saw he was awake and tossing something up in the air. She then listened carefully to their conversation.

Tauriel spoke, "The stone in your hand…what is it?"

Kili was silent briefly and then answered, "It is a talisman…a powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a Dwarf reads the runes on this stone…they will be forever cursed!"

Tauriel was slightly startled as he thrust out his arm and revealed the stone to her, as if she believed what he said, and started to walk away.

"Or not…!" Kili then said, which made her stop and turn back to him. "Depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token…a rune stone," he said with a small laugh.

"Rune stone…? Since when did Kili have a rune stone?" Aira wondered.

He continued, "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."

Just as Aira thought it, Tauriel spoke for her, "What promise?"

"That I would come back to her." Kili paused and then added, "She worries. She thinks I'm reckless."

"That does sound like Dis," thought Aira, thinking about the one wonderful Dwarf-woman she had ever known as a mother, as she continued to listen.

"Are you?" asked Tauriel curiously.

"Nah…!" Kili replied just as he dropped the stone and it tumbled out of his cell. Luckily, Tauriel stopped it with her foot before picking it up and examining it in the light.

Kili stood up as the sound of cheers and laughter came from above them outside the dungeons. "Sounds like quite a party you're having up there."

"It is mereth en gilith; a feast of starlight. All light is sacred to the Eldar…but Wood-Elves love best the light of the stars."

"I always thought it as a cold light…remote and far away."

"It is memory…precious and pure!"

Tauriel's statement really rubbed Aira the wrong way. "How dare she speak anything of memory, when she knows precisely what is going on with him!" she thought furiously as she clenched her hands into tight fists.

"Like your promise," she heard Tauriel say. Aira peeked back through the bars of the door and saw Tauriel handing Kili back his rune stone.

Then she looked around her and continued, "I have walked there sometimes. Beyond the forest and up into the night…I have seen the world fall away…and the white light forever fill the air."

As Aira listened to her speak, she heard the conviction and passion in Tauriel's voice, as if she was in a trance or distant. Something about the Elven woman's words touched Aira's soul, but she couldn't make out what it was. She was back again to not knowing what to think of her. She seemed so different from the other Elves.

But then Aira's eyes drifted to where she could see Kili and, even from where she was, she could see clearly how he was looking at Tauriel. There was an enamored smile on his face and she could his eyes were wide with wonder; the same look he used to get on his face when he would look at her.

Then he said to Tauriel, "I saw a fire moon once."

Aira could feel her heart and spirits sinking lower and lower as she listened to Kili talking to Tauriel in so carefree a way.

"It rose over the pass near Dunland…huge! Red and gold, it was; it filled the sky! We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin. They were trading in silverwork for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left…and then it appeared: this huge fire moon lighting our path…."

Finally, Aira just couldn't listen anymore. With a sigh, she turned away from the door and laid her head against the wall, blocking out the sounds of Kili and Tauriel conversing.

He was falling for Tauriel, Aira knew it…and her heart was becoming so overwhelmed, she feared it would shatter at any minute.

Her thoughts were broken when she heard Fili in the next cell whisper, "Aira, are you awake?"

She kept quiet for a moment, not feeling like speaking to anyone, but then she decided she couldn't and that she really did need to speak to someone.

"I am," she replied quietly. "Did you hear…?"

"Yes, I did," Fili answered, knowing what she was referring to.

"Everything he said about the rune stone and the fire moon…was that all true?"

"Every word."

Her heart fell yet again. He could remember little things like those but not the bigger and more important things in his life? And why had he never told her about any of those stories?

After shaking her head, Aira said, "He's gone, Fili. The Kili you and I know and love is gone. He is falling for that Elf woman…even from here, I can see how he is looking at her: with the same look he used to give me."

She paused, feeling tears forming in her eyes, and then said, her voice growing emotional, "There was always a certain light in his eyes whenever he would see or look at me; a light that never ceased to show how much he loved and cared about me…but ever since the forest, that light has disappeared. Now, even from here, I can see it again in his eyes as he looks at Tauriel…."

"I am not going to let Kili fall for that Elf!" Fili told her firmly, yet still in a quiet voice so the other two, still conversing across the way, wouldn't hear. "No matter what it takes, I will see to it that he falls in love with you again!"

"You don't understand, Fili. What Kili and I had together was built upon years and years of growing up together and growing closer to each other. It was based on childhood memories and fondness that stretched and grew over the years as we got older. Even if he did fall in love with me again…he'll never love me the same; not the way he did before…our love was deep and strong and it could never get back to the way it was."

"I know, Aira…what you and Kili had before was a love of the truest kind…but you are just like my sister and he is my brother. I'm not going to let things between you two end like this."

"Fili, I know you look out for us and hope for the best…but it's no use now. Sometimes the truth of reality just outweighs whatever hope we have…and in this case, it does…it is over."

Fili started to say something back, but Aira cut him short, telling him that she was tired and wanted to sleep. Without waiting for a response, she moved back to the dark corner, laid down on the floor facing the wall, closed her eyes and softly cried herself to sleep, desperately wishing that when she awoke, everything would be back to the way it was, even though she knew that it was a fool's wish.

Not knowing how long she had actually slept, Aira later awoke to the sound Fili's voice slightly echoing outside followed by Kili's, so she inched closer to the cell door to hear.

"Brother, you cannot seriously be thinking what I know you're thinking!"

"How do you know at all what I'm thinking?"

"I saw how you were looking at that Elf woman; I know that look you got. You're infatuated with her!"

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are, I saw you! You know you can't lie to me."

"So what if I may be?"

"Kili, she's an Elf!"

"Just because Thorin hates the Elves doesn't mean we have to."

"Oh, Mahal help me! This is ludicrous!" Fili was now starting to sound quite frustrated. "First, you completely forget and neglect Aira, then you forget Erebor and now you're suddenly developing an interest in Elves? You are not yourself anymore, Kili. You are not my brother."

Hearing him say that shocked Aira greatly.

Kili replied, "But I am your brother, Fili!"

"In body only! But in mind and heart, you are not. You are not my little brother whom I have looked after for over seventy years; the one person I am closest to in the entire world! You are not my little brother whom I watched fall in love with our best friend, someone he loved for his entire life!"

"If that girl really meant that much to us, I'm certain I would remember her."

Aira felt a tug on her heartstrings as she heard Kili refer to her as "that girl" yet again. Since the forest, he had practically refused to say or acknowledge her by name. Now she was just "woman" or "that girl".

Fili reminded him, "But your mind has been infected!"

"I don't feel any different than I have since the start of this journey," said Kili.

"How can you say you don't feel any different when you don't feel anything?"

However, it was not Fili who uttered those words.

It was Aira.

The words had escaped her mouth before she had a chance to stop herself. She was getting so frustrated and fed up with Kili's behavior, acting like nothing was wrong, and her aggravation was combined with her grief and unhappiness regarding the fact. Everything was just building up inside of her and it was now beginning to burst. She had been suffering inner emotional torment and just couldn't take it anymore.

"What did you say?" asked Kili.

Aira turned so she was looking through the bars over at Kili across the way. "I said, how can you say you don't feel any different when you don't feel anything?" she repeated in a somewhat insolent tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"You know exactly what it means!" she spat.

He groaned, rolled his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall, indeed knowing what she was referring to. "Oh, for Durin's sake…! You just can't leave it alone, can you?"

All she did in response was scowl back at him.

"You're still convinced we're meant to be together…that chance isn't really looking good for you right now! You know, you could've made things a lot easier for you had you not been so insistent!"

"I'm only insistent because I'm trying to help you remember and see the truth!"

Kili said nothing. Instead he just rolled his eyes again and turned his face away.

With her angst growing even more, Aira cried out, "How can you not feel it, Kili?"

"Feel what?" he asked, annoyed.

"Me!" she exclaimed, placing a hand over her chest. "How can you not feel me?"

She heard faint stirrings in the other cells and she knew that the other Dwarves were waking up, most likely because of her and Kili's raised voices.

When it seemed he was puzzled as to what she meant and how to respond, she went on desperately, "I am a part of you; we are one and the same! How can you not remember your feelings for me? How can you not feel what I feel for you?"

"Because, clearly, those feelings never existed and I am not living in some fantasy!"

"Kili, stop!" came Thorin's voice of warning. He could tell the argument was escalating very quickly and he wanted them to stop before either of them said something they would regret.

But Kili wouldn't listen. "No! I've had enough of this!" he shouted back.

When he received a silent response, he then turned his stone hard gaze back in Aira's direction. Then he spoke to her in a dark, irritated voice that rose as he kept going, "Honestly, you are relentless! As I've said about a thousand times now, if we ever really had anything and you were really my One, I would know it! But I don't feel anything when I'm around you or even when I look at you and I certainly don't now! Had you taken a different approach to all of this, I maybe would've given you a chance, but not anymore! I do not love you and, at this rate, I doubt I ever will!"

"Imrid amrad ursul!"

The three Khuzdul words that Aira had just shrieked in such a horrible voice echoed loudly off the dungeon walls, briefly masking the now heavy, awkward silence that hung in the air. There were the sounds of shocked gasps that were heard upon hearing her outburst.

Aira had just told Kili to "die a death of flames" in the Dwarven language; the same phrase that Thorin had shouted at Thranduil after their arrival.

All of the angst, anger, misery, grief and pain that she had felt over the last few days had finally caused her to burst and she had screamed possibly the worst thing she could have ever said without thinking. And to make it all even worse: she had said it to her One.

It took Aira a moment to realize what had just happened and then she gasped quietly to herself, shocked beyond belief at what she had just done. She noticed Kili was staring at her wide-eyed, completely taken aback. She might have been angry with him, but he didn't deserve that. She would never wish death upon anyone…him, least of all.

Humiliated yet still so hurt by Kili's words, Aira turned her back to the cell door, leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest, buried her face in the crook of her arms and openly wept, not caring if even all of Middle-Earth could hear her. Now she knew for certain that her true love was gone forever.

She was completely heartbroken. It was clear to her that their love was not strong enough to break through to Kili and bring him back. His mind had been entirely corrupted; the toxins had overcome him and had turned him against her. No matter how much she wanted to believe it, there was just no possible way to save him now.

It was all over.

She cried for quite some time and no one dared to even utter a word. Even when she finally stopped, there was nothing but silence.

In the long silence, Aira suddenly recalled the words of Galadriel's prophecy once again:

"Your bond with the line of Durin will be tested and the love between you and the youngest Prince will be tried…."

It was now as though darkness was overtaking her and she was trapped in an endless void of sorrow and regret. Now, she felt utterly lost. The latter part of the prophecy had been fulfilled; the love between her and Kili had been more than tried, it had been completely severed. How was she supposed to save the line of Durin when she couldn't even save the one she loved?

Just then, in the midst of her depressed and grief-stricken state, an idea came to her mind; something that she had not thought of before. As she considered it, it seemed like a very mad, possibly useless idea, but yet there was a tiny inkling of a feeling deep down that kept telling her that she had to do it.

"Surely, there must be some part of him deep down that still loves me…I have to try…," she thought to herself, not knowing whether it was out of hope or desperation.

After regaining her composure a bit, Aira opened her mouth and suddenly began to sing, her voice emanating with deep, desperate emotion as she sang what was in her heart loud enough for Kili to hear her.

Feel me.
I am still here and you're still there, I know.
I am still here and you're still there, I know…
And I'm scared you'll leave me with no way home.
Feel me…
Feel me…

See, I've got so many keys to these doors.
I feel trapped in here and I don't want more…
Let me out of here and please don't ignore me…
Darling, can you feel me?
Darling, can you feel me?
Darling, can you feel me…?

In my perfect world, you're happy with me.
When I picture it, it's all heavenly.
But this fairytale is just a story, see?
Life is such an unpredictable dream…
Feel me…

Darling, can you feel…
Feel me?
Darling, can you feel…
Feel me?
Feel me…
Feel me…

Darling, can you feel…
Feel me…?

Aira's emotional song ended and, once again, silence hung in the air. Everyone else in the company felt too sad to say anything. The pain and desperate longing in Aira's voice and in her words struck them deep to their very cores. Some of them had tears in their eyes, feeling so sorry for Aira and what she was going through.

A brief moment passed before Aira peered through the bars of her cell and stole a glance in Kili's direction. His head was lowered and he was looking at his hands. He wasn't moving at all and he remained that way for the whole minute she watched him. When he still made no move or said no words, her heart sank.

Her last hope had failed.

"I give up…," she thought sadly. "There's nothing left I can do…it's all over."

Feeling hopeless and dejected, Aira moved herself into the corner by the door and closed her eyes. Her entire being was tired and she wished to sleep…and perhaps never wake up again.

Over in Kili's cell, he was staring down at his hands, breathing a bit heavily. Then finally his mouth opened and he whispered one word so quietly that he could barely even hear himself:

"Aira…?"

.

xD

I shall say absolutely nothing...! xD

Reviews and PM's are appreciated, as always! Ya'll are seriously awesome for sticking with me this far! :D