The Erebor that Katniss saw when she returned was a completely different place from the one she had left merely hours ago. Elves, men, and the few dwarves left in the mountain had been busy preparing their surroundings for the ongoing battle. They had moved large catapults to the rampart; arches were waiting in position; they also built an improvised healing ward in one of the large halls near the entrance. Meanwhile, others had been making large amounts of food that would hopefully suffice to feed the three armies who were protecting the mountain.

After having spotted Fili and Katniss with an injured Thorin, galloping with haste, Balin decided to wait for them at the entrance to their kingdom with three elven healers. The white-headed dwarf had been among the few of his kind left in the mountain to look after their home.

The elves didn't waste time taking Thorin to the most secluded corner of their temporary healing ward. The dwarven king was awake, but hallucinating in pain. He would also occasionally shout phrases in Khuzdul, and Katniss could only guess they were curses if the grimaces he made were anything to go by.

Many women and a few elves were wandering around the improvised healing ward. They were preparing cots, boiling water, laying down bandages and readying herbs for use, and setting everything they could before the injured arrived. Katniss recognized the man who had come to Erebor on her horse lying down in one of the improvised cots, alongside other refugees they had saved.

After Thorin left their sight, Katniss heard him utter a particularly loud cry of pain. Katniss didn't think twice before she marched toward the area where the elven healers had taken her husband, but Fili and Balin quickly restrained her.

"I know it is difficult, but you need to let them do their job, Lassie. All we can do now is pray to the maker."

Katniss slowly nodded, but when she heard Thorin screaming in agony again, she buried her face in Fili's chest. The water dripping from her wet hair, mixed with her tears, made everything much gloomier.

"He is strong. He will make it. You wait and see it." Fili patted her shoulders while he tried to hide his own emotions.

"Thorin is in the best place he could be. Meaning that we should probably leave now. There are responsibilities we must attend to. But before that, we must have a quick chat." Balin asked them to follow him with a wave of hand.

Katniss wiped her tears with the back of her hand and gave a small nod, but Fili didn't budge. He looked around the improvised healing ward, scouring through the few patients who had made it as if he were searching for something. Katniss understood at once.

"Do you know where Kili is?" Katniss asked the old dwarf, who raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Kili? Is he injured too?"

"Tauriel brought him." Katniss nodded.

"These are ill news. I can't say I have seen the young lad."

Almost as if on cue, Óin appeared from behind a column with a lot of blood on his hands and a dark look marring his semblance. Unable to look them in the eyes, the company healer had his gaze fixed on his own boots.

"I'm sorry, Laddie… He was barely alive when the she-elf brought him. We did everything we could, but it was just too late."

Fili tensed and sucked a breath, but he didn't move an inch. Katniss raised both her hands to her mouth and tears immediately began streaming down her face. Balin's coloring was suddenly white, and he looked positively faint.

Katniss's heart was beating impossibly fast. She couldn't believe what she had heard. How could Kili be dead? The young dwarf who had taught her Iglishmêk even though he wasn't allowed; the young dwarf who always had rotted so much for her and Thorin… his goofy, carefree smile every time he caught a glance of her and his uncle together. Thorin's youngest nephew… her youngest nephew! Just a few moments ago, he was making fun of her, and now… how could someone with such a pure heart like Kili die like that?

"Where is his… body?" Balin asked his cousin as soon as he recovered from the shock.

Óin gestured at a corner. Like the place Thorin was taken to, that was also a secluded nook, and they couldn't see inside it.

"I left him with his… friend. She is… completely distraught." Óin finally managed to raise his head to face Fili, who gave him a nod, face wrought with a myriad of emotions.

They heard Thorin howling in pain, his scream echoing inside the mountain, a vivid reminder that this was just the start of a long, long night. Katniss buried her nails on Balin's hand, who for his turn gave her a pat on her shoulders.

"That was Thorin you just heard, cousin." Balin said to Óin as both dwarrowmen looked towards the place the howls of pain were coming from. "Katniss and Fili brought him not long ago."

Óin blinked multiple times before he recomposed himself and finally spoke.

"I shall go and see if there is anything I can do to help our uzbad," Óin said before he disappeared inside the corner they all knew to be where Thorin was receiving his treatment.

A moment went by and none of them dared open their mouths. Balin was looking at Fili with an unreadable expression on his face. Katniss also had her attention on Fili, but she was unable to stop the tears from rolling down her face. She couldn't help but wonder when she had become such a softie. On the other hand, Fili was completely stoic, not displaying any emotion. Katniss knew he was likely trying to hide it - so much like Thorin… so much like she had been most of her life. Fili raised a hand to wipe some of her tears, and then he decided to finally break the silence.

"I want to see him. I want to see my brother."

Balin nodded solemnly.

"I… I would like to go too. I would like to see my nephew if that is okay with you," Katniss shyly asked Fili, very much aware that this was the first time she had referred to either of them by the familial term.

"I think I'd like that too, Aunty Kat." Fili's voice nearly broke when he uttered the endearing term he teased Katniss so much, and his eyes were full of tears that he was still trying to suppress.

Side by side, they took their time and walked to the place Óin had pointed to be Kili's resting place. Every time they heard a new yowl of pain coming from Thorin, Katniss would give a particularly hard squeeze on Fili's hand.

When they moved the curtain and entered the cubicle assigned for Kili, they saw Tauriel holding his lifeless hand, her lips kissing his. Fili gasped, surprised by witnessing the elf maiden's displaying her feelings to his younger brother so brazenly and without care for onlookers.

Even though Katniss knew that her elven ears were way more powerful than her own Capitol's repaired ones, Tauriel seemed to be completely oblivious to their presence in the room. Katniss gently touched the elven-maiden's shoulder to inform the other female she was no longer alone with her deceased… lover. Katniss couldn't believe how she had failed to notice the signs of their relationship.

Tauriel raised and hugged her human friend, as she allowed her tears to freely fall. Fili slowly approached the other side of his brother's bedside and touched Kili's forehead with his own. He didn't say anything, nor did he shed any tears.

Katniss and Tauriel looked away from Fili's private moment. Only then did Katniss notice that Kili's armor was lying on the floor, and she saw the second wound on his shoulders. Kili was extremely pallid. The blood loss must've been what eventually sapped him of his breath.

Katniss saw Tauriel removing something from her pocket and she carefully placed it on Kili's hand. When Fili noticed what she was doing, he immediately stopped her.

"You s-should… keep it," his voice quivered when he placed his hands on top of hers, closing her hand around the stone. "I'm sure that my brother would've w-wanted you to keep it."

Tauriel bowed, and more tears rolled down her ethereal face.

Balin entered the room. The white-haired dwarf looked far older than Katniss remembered him being. Katniss felt like her heart had stopped beating, as she futilely tried to prepare herself to receive the worst of the news Balin could possibly give them. Balin glanced with sorrow in his eyes at Kili's face, before opening his mouth.

"Katniss… Fili, I'm sorry, but we can't spare any more time here. The battle is still going, and there are things that demand your attention"

Katniss allowed a breath of relief to escape her mouth, and this time she almost felt happy when she heard another scream of pain coming from Thorin. He was in pain, but he was alive.

"Come on, Laddie, we need to talk," Balin urged Fili, who was giving one last glance at his brother.

Fili nodded, and they began following Balin away from the impromptu healing halls. Katniss noticed that more dwarves, men, and a few elves were filling the laid-down cots, while people she assumed were healers tended to their wounds. In the midst of the wounded, Katniss spotted the elf who had given her his horse. His face was covered in blood, and she noticed he had lost one of his pointy ears. She nodded at him in acknowledgement, which was promptly returned. Soon, Balin had led them to a secluded chamber near the temporary healing halls which Katniss had been oblivious of its existence until that moment.

"Katniss, Fili… with Thorin out of commission, a lot of important decisions will now befall on you."

Fili nodded solemnly, whilst Katniss blinked and opened her mouth as though to argue. Balin ignored their reactions and carried on talking.

"I don't know what is happening outside. But I've heard there is a second army of goblins marching to the mountain."

Fili inhaled deeply and Katniss bit her lip.

"We need to see we are prepared for them. We also need to allocate a place for all these soldiers and the refugees from Lake Town."

Katniss and Fili shared a glance.

"I suggest we take turns. One of us should always be resting. We have an essential role to play, and resting is important. I suggest that one of you take the first rest."

Balin looked expecting from Katniss to Fili, who looked at each other.

"Aunty, you were already exhausted on the battlefield,"

"Yes, but you just lost..." Katniss stopped mid-sentence, trying to figure out how to point out that his loss was bigger than hers without sounding too blunt. "You need to rest more than I do."

Fili looked like he was going to argue, but Katniss carried on before he had a chance to speak "You know that I won't be able to sleep until I know if Thorin will be fine. Please, Fili…"

There was a moment when it looked like Fili was going to protest, but he eventually crossed his arms and nodded. Katniss placed one hand on his shoulders before she spoke again.

"I've cleaned up a room in the royal quarters when you were all busy looking for that sodding stone. It is the fourth door on the right. Thorin's old bedroom. You will find it a comfortable place to sleep, my nephew."

Fili nodded, and then he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Mahalu Dayamu, Irak'ammad," Fili whispered before he walked away, leaving Katniss alone with Balin.

They were hastily walking to the ramparts when Katniss started.

"Balin…?"

"Yes, Lassie?"

"When this is over, you will teach me dwarvish."

Balin tried to suffocate a laugh.

"Kun, Zabdûnê."

Katniss grunted and rolled her eyes in frustration, making Balin chuckle at her expense.

With Bolg's premature death, their enemy's army was in disarray. Despite the darkness of the night and the advantage it brought to their enemies, it was possible to see that orcs, trolls, and wargs were now fighting among themselves. That left a much easier task for the ones on their side that remained on the battlefield. The allied forces were also retreating to Erebor, as that would strengthen their line of defence.

While making her rounds on the rampart, Katniss recognised the blond elf who had followed her and Tauriel in what seemed to be ages ago. He caught her attention and pointed ahead.

"The full moon is allowing us to see the enemy approaching from the west. They are coming in high numbers, but they are having a hard time with the eagles."

Katniss raised an eyebrow.

"It seems like we are having our work cut short," the elf said with a shadow of a smile on his face.

Katniss squinted her eyes, trying to see what he was describing, but it was all futile.

"If you say so," she shrugged. The elf raised his eyes at her laid-back demeanour.

"Well, I've heard that congratulations are in order, Queen Under the Mountain," the elf said respectfully, but she could sense a dash of sarcasm hidden behind the niceties. To that, she rolled her eyes. However, after being addressed by this new title, she struggled to not think about Thorin and what he might be going through.

"Are you ok, my Lady?" the elf asked with a frown. Noticing his now concerned tone, Katniss could only believe that some of her distress must have shown on her face, to her distaste.

"You are a friend of Tauriel, are you not?" Katniss asked instead of answering his question.

The elf nodded, now his turn to look concerned.

"Is she… is she ok?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally… she'll need a good friend when this is over."

The elf nodded. Soon after, Bilbo Baggins came running towards her. The hobbit was out of breath, and it took a few seconds for him to recover enough to address her. Immediately, Katniss saw herself praying for him not to be the bearer of terrible news.

"Miss Katniss, where is Thorin?"

She let out a breath of relief she'd been holding inside unbeknownst to her.

"He is…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What should she say? That he was hopefully still alive?

Bilbo frowned. She knew there was no need to worry the hobbit, so she did her best to recompose herself.

"He is with the injured. What's the matter, Bilbo?"

"Nori said it could be you as well. There is a problem at the hoard. Come. Follow me."

Katniss rolled her eyes and shook her head as she thought if that was really the sort of issue that she should be trying to solve in a time such as this. Balin, who knew Erebor best, was currently designating places for the men, dwarves, and elves to stay at the mountain, while she was at the ramparts ensuring that their defence was in place and the soldiers had everything they needed. However, deep inside, she felt more like a nuisance than anything, as she lacked basic knowledge when it came to protecting a fortress from a possible siege. She glanced at the blond elf who was leading his kin on the ramparts.

"Is that okay if I leave you here?"

The elf nodded and they left without looking back.

It turned out that the issue in question was a man who had found his way to the hoard and decided to help himself to more gold than he could even carry. Katniss was extremely pissed off at having to deal with something as mundane as metal theft, while all the uncertainty regarding Thorin's condition weighed heavily on her. But despite her frustration, she ensured to place Alfrid Lickspittle behind bars. Even though that seemed to frustrate Nori, who seemed keen to kill or remove all the man's hair at the very least.

After that was dealt with, she decided to return to the healing halls to seek news regarding Thorin's progress. Bilbo decided to tag along with her and she did nothing to prevent that. However, before they could get anywhere near the place, she had left her husband, she spotted Balin, Dwalin, and Dain exchanging a hushed conversation in their secret language. Katniss decided to stop to greet them.

"Any news about him?" she asked the three dwarrowmen.

"We just came back from seeing Thorin, Lassie. Óin has not left his side. He is alive."

Katniss released another breath. She felt a wave of excitement travelling through her body and smoothing out her soul. The three dwarrow warriors exchanged grim glances before Balin spoke again.

"I don't want to scare you, but his situation remains delicate. He has stabilised at a great cost. Any minor infection could still be fatal now. In fact, we were just discussing moving him to the royal quarters as soon as he is well enough to be transported."

Katniss swallowed dry. Thorin was alive, but this still could change.

"Fili is in the only room in that area that has been thoroughly cleaned. We should prepare our quarters before thinking about moving him," Katniss informed them.

"I can help with that," Bilbo chipped in. "Just tell me which room you need cleaning and I will ensure that is done."

Katniss thanked him with a head nod.

"Lass, ya should rest now. Go and stay with me cousin. We'll take care of things here for ye, for him," Dain, said giving her a gentle tap on her shoulders, to which she frowned.

"Surely you need to rest as much as me, Lord Dain."

"Aye. We will juggle it among the three of us. We'll wake Fili up if comes to it," Dain said.

"Thorin will need ya when he wakes up, trust me," Dwalin quickly added.

Katniss nodded and when she was about to turn around, she returned her attention to the two dwarrowmen who had been fighting outside until not long ago.

"Is it over?"

"Aye, Lassie," Dwalin answered her with a weak smile.

"There're rogue orcs out there, but there is no need for ya to worry. Ya did well, Lass, leading ma men at battle,"

Dain gave another tap on her shoulders, and this time she tried to repress her urge to frown, leaving an unreadable expression on her face instead. She wondered when something had switched between her and Thorin's cousin, though she couldn't pinpoint where or how that had come to be.

"How about the second army? Are they not coming?"

"The elves are saying it has been disbanded. We shall confirm that with daylight," Dwalin answered her question with a curt nod.

"We'll run search parties for possible survivors among the carnage at the first light. Then we can also retrieve the provisions that we lost when you brought the children and woman from Dale," Balin informed her.

Katniss nodded, and this time, she did turn around without looking back.

Óin was washing Thorin's unconscious body with a wet cloth when Katniss entered the cubicle where he had been resting. The place was small but clean. Like the place where Kili had been, Thorin was laying in a proper bed, not a mere cot on the floor like other patients with less life-threatening injuries had been given.

There was a chair near the bed, and a small table on the opposite side with a water basin, some salve paste, a few tools she had witnessed her mother utilizing and others she couldn't recognise, and plentiful clean bandages. There was also a basket on the floor overflowing with old bandages drenched in blood. Katniss looked away as that sight made her feel sick.

Óin raised his eyes from his patient to meet her gaze, but they remained silent. She invited herself into the room and went to stand on the opposite side of the bed from Óin. Katniss lifted a hand and caressed Thorin's bare chest. She moved it slowly, following his breathing rhythm.

She had to close her eyes to avoid crying as she felt her heart be flooded with both relief and dread. When she dared to open her eyes again, Óin was looking at her with a strange expression on his face, but he still remained quiet.

Feeling Katniss looked away from Óin's gaze and focused on Thorin's body instead. A white bedsheet was covering his left leg and his groins, while Óin thoroughly worked on cleaning the remainder of his body. She then noticed a second basket in the corner of the improvised room, and saw the remains of…

"Is that his… foot?"

Óin confirmed with a head movement without even looking up. In that basket on the corner of the room, laid Thorin's left foot up to a few centimeters above his ankle. She looked away immediately as the sight of it made her feel sick.

"Can't this be moved to somewhere else?" she asked before she could refrain herself.

"This is part of Thorin. We will need to organise a proper burial for it."

Katniss blinked multiple times and shook her head, uncertain if she really wanted to know the reason behind his amputated lower leg being kept with him inside that small improvised cubicle.

"We will move it from here and place it with the dead who are waiting to have a proper funeral if he makes it to the dawn,"

She swallowed dry, getting the hidden meaning behind his words - There was no guarantee that Thorin would survive through the night.

Her gazer returned to Thorin, and she squeezed his hand and stroked his hair. She tried to take every single inch of him on her mind. Katniss then felt the tears trying to break free again, but she suppressed them. She needed to be strong - for Thorin; for Fili; and for everybody else.

She looked away from his face and noticed Óin had removed the bed sheet that was covering Thorin's injured leg, and she caught a glimpse of his stump for the very first time. While the healer checked the bandages and his wound, she grieved for the loss of that member while she considered how that would affect her lover even if made it through all this alive. And right now, his survival was the only outcome she could deal with.

Without her realising, Óin finished his task of cleaning and checking Thorin's body and was now standing next to her with some of his healing gear in his hands. She tried to move out of the way, but Óin stopped her by gently placing a hand on her arm.

"Let me have a look at your wounds. I can see that at least three cuts on your arms and back that requires attention."

Katniss thought about protesting as she didn't think it was really necessary, but she was feeling so tired, that she lacked the energy to argue about anything. So she nodded and stripped out of her Mockingjay suit at once. If Óin thought anything about her lack of propriety regarding her own nudity, he kept those comments to himself.

While the old dwarf worked on her injuries, she focused on Thorin, her mind going on a million miles an hour. She thought about all the moments they shared on the journey and in the mountain; she thought about Fili, who had just lost a brother, and now may lose the closest thing to a father; she thought about Thorin's injury and how ironic it was that he now shared Peeta's fate of having part of their left leg removed; she thought about the pain that Thorin had gone through; and she thought about how Thorin would react when he learned that his youngest nephew had fallen in battle…

"Here we go, Lassie, you are all patched up. Can you keep an eye on Thorin while I go and fetch you some clean clothes to wear?"

Katniss nodded, once again not thinking that was needed, but feeling way too weak to protest.

"If he… if he turns, just call for help."

And without saying anything else, the company healer left, leaving her alone with the dwarf she loved.

Katniss was now wearing what was likely to be a borrowed dress from one of the maidens from Lake Town. It was a modest brown dress that vaguely reminded her of the clothes her mother used to wear at Twelve. At some point during the night, a girl who was roughly the same age as Prim walked in, offering her and Thorin some broth. Katniss gladly took both bowls, even though he remained unconscious. In her defence, Óin had entrusted her to feed him and give him some medicine he prepared, as soon as woke up, as Thorin could be so exhausted that he just might go back to sleep a few moments after opening his eyes.

At some point, Óin left her alone with Thorin and went to find a place to rest. Katniss remained there, sitting next to her husband, determined to keep her vigil until he opened his eyes. In the end, her tiredness won the battle of wills, and she ended up falling asleep with her head resting on his chest.

Not an hour later, she was woken up by calloused hands tenderly caressing her tattered braid. Feeling his familiar touch, she immediately opened her eyes, a wide smile on her face. He cupped her face full of tenderness, grazing her lips and her eyes with the tip of his fingers as though trying to memorise every inch of her. Even though he had been sleeping not long ago, Thorin looked utterly spent. She straightened herself on the chair and got the broth that she remembered she needed to feed him as much as she could.

Thorin accepted her administration of food and healing concoctions without making a fuss. Only after he finished everything, she allowed herself to relax and fully enjoy his vitality.

"You made it through the night," she stated. Her voice was full of emotion.

"We both did," he answered while stroking her cheeks.

They remained silent again. He was intensely looking at her, but she was trying to avoid his gaze.

"I'm sorry about your leg."

"It is a price I would gladly pay a thousand times if it meant I could still have you by my side."

Katniss looked up at him at once, as she felt his love flowing through his words and actions. She had heard from Balin that saving her and his nephews was the only reason behind Thorin's decision to leave the safety of Erebor and march to attack their enemies on the plains instead.

She bent down to give him a long and passionate kiss, which was only interrupted when he felt a particularly strong wave of pain, that made him tense his entire body. When the worst of it was over, he told her in a low voice.

"There was a moment I was certain that I was going to die. Thinking of seeing you again was the only thing that kept me fighting."

His confession broke all of her resilience and the tears she had been suppressing throughout the night as she tended to him to begin to fall from her eyes.

"You are not allowed to stop fighting. I'm too young to be a widow."

"I wouldn't dare to leave you to such fate, Mizin."

But before she could bend down to kiss him again, a loud cough coming from the entrance of Thorin's cubicle made her turn around. Fili had been standing there, watching them with an odd expression on his face. Thorin smiled at the sight of his eldest nephew.

"Come closer, Fee."

Katniss gasped as she heard Thorin using the familiar nickname that Kili usually used to refer to his elderly brother for the very first time. Fili tensed, but he did as asked. Soon he was standing opposite Katniss.

Thorin's face tensed, and Katniss could tell by his expression that he was feeling another wave of pain. She placed her hand on his, and he gently squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"My nephew, I have a very important task for you."

Fili nodded solemnly.

"You must promise me that you will help your aunt take care of herself. Please tame her beautiful locks while I am restrained here. Just look at the state of her hair; she still got some Orc's blood on her face! She is helpless;"

Katniss snorted, and Fili gave a smile that failed to reach his eyes.

"Your wish is my command, Irak'adad."

There was another pause, where Thorin allowed some small sighs of pain leave his lips.

"How is your brother fairing, Irakdashat?"

It was like someone had removed all the air inside the room. Fili was suddenly white as a ghost. Katniss pressed Thorin's hand hard. Fili looked away, and then back to his uncle, only to look away one more time. Katniss was suddenly very interested in the patterns of the marble stone floor. Thorin tensed.

"Fili... what happened to your brother?"

Fili turned around, hiding his expression from both Thorin and Katniss.

"Fili?" Thorin begged. He was attempting to sit up, but Katniss held him down, fearing Thorin would end up doing something stupid.

Fili turned back, finally revealing the suppressed tears he hadn't dared to shed until that moment.

"He is… he is… Kili is dead."

A/N

Mahalu Dayamu, Irak'ammad - Mahal bless you, Aunty

Kun, Zabdûnê - Yes, my Queen.

Irakdashat - Nephew

Please shout if you are still reading this. I have a glitch on my ffnet account and it is no longer showing my hits, meaning that the only way I can know someone still reading is through reviews, followers and favourites now.