Thorin had no idea how he managed to carry on, putting one foot in front of the other as the guards escorted him back to his cell. Katniss. Katniss, his One was dead. He was feeling pain beyond the unimaginable. The silent tears which were fogging his eyes made it harder for him to walk. Thorin was no stranger to grief, but no sorrow he had felt until that moment seemed to hurt as deeply as losing his Katniss.

Her Mockingjay pin, fiercely pressed against his fist, had cut the palm of his calloused hand. He silently cursed Thranduil for being unable to save her; for preventing him from seeing her for one last time; for arresting them in these horrid dungeons of his. If he already hated Thranduil and his kingdom before their last encounter, now he wanted nothing but revenge.

Thorin was on the verge of having a mental breakdown. And the worst thing was, he didn't even have the luxury of privacy to grieve her. The last thing he wanted was for his men to see him in such a state, but there was no way he would manage to keep putting on a brave face and hide his feelings for much longer. When the guard placed him back in his cell and left them to tend to their own business, Balin looked at him and opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask him something completely different, but changed his mind along the way.

"What is it, Laddie?"

"She is dead," Thorin answered in a shaky voice, unable to look Balin in the eyes. "Snake bite."

There was a collective explosion of breath intakes and cries of sorrow, and Thorin saw himself collapsing near the bars of his cell. Saying that she was dead out loud suddenly made confronting the reality of that much more painful, much more real than what it already was. He ran his hands through his hair, full of despair.

"No, she is not!"

Thorin heard the voice of their burglar whisper these words in front of his cell. He at first thought he was hallucinating, but then he raised his head and saw Bilbo Baggins in front of him.

"I just came back from her room. Miss Katniss is fine. Still recovering, but the elf who helped her said that if they carry on with the treatment, her hand will be fully healed in no time."

It was almost as if the world had stopped spinning. Thorin felt his heart beating fast, as his brain started to process the news that his Katniss was actually alive. She was alive and healing. The news spread like wildfire among his men, and soon the whispers started to become celebration cheers.

"Shoosh all of you! Don't you have any sense? Honestly, there are guards nearby!" Bilbo said in a loud whisper.

"Mr Baggins, please tell me I am not dreaming…"

"She is fine. And she is clearly receiving better treatment than you lot. She has a bed with comfy pillows and the elves seemed to be taking good care of her wound even though she tried to attack them!"

"That's my One!" Thorin beamed, full of pride as some of the others laughed, imagining Katniss attacking the elves who were trying to heal her.

"And she is also quite worried about you all. Especially you, Thorin…"

"If you see her…" Thorin held Bilbo's hand from behind his bars and placed her Mockingjay pin safely on his hands. "Tell her that we will be reunited again. This is a promise."

"Er… right. But I am hoping to do more than helping you two lovebirds exchange messages while you are imprisoned. I will see if I can find a way out here."

"You are truly exactly what Gandalf promised. You have more in you than any of us could have vouched for."

Bilbo's cheeks and ears were all suddenly scarlet.

"I will do my best to stay out of trouble and keep you well informed. Have faith, my friend."

And their burglar disappeared again, to the shadows as quickly as he had appeared. The knowledge that his Katniss was alive and on track for a full recovery somewhere nearby did wonders to restore his mood and hope. Even though the company was still behind bars, and Durin's day was on the horizon, that brief moment when he believed that she had died gave him perspective to realise that their situation could be much worse than it actually was.

Almost two weeks have passed since Katniss had woken up alone in that room in the healing halls of the Woodland Realm. Now, she was unsure of how long she could carry on living locked away and isolated like that, without having a mental breakdown.

Sure, the elves provided all the basic things that she needed. They brought her food; cared for her wound, emptied her toilet pan and even provided her with some clean womanly cloths when she had her period. However, what was killing Katniss from the inside was both the immense boredom that came with lack of purpose and the absence of human interaction.

Soon, she saw that the number of times the elves came by to change her dressing quickly began to diminish, even though that had soon become her favourite part of the day. That was the only time that she was able to feel someone else's touch. Which was awkward, because Katniss had never been a very touchy, hugging type of person, but complete isolation seemed to do funny things to someone's mind.

Unfortunately for her, though, none of the elleths who tended to her wound seemed to be as chatty and warm as Tauriel had been, so much so that Katniss was yet to find out what their names were. Both elleths tended to speak one-word sentences, only addressing her when it was extremely necessary. Truth be told, it wasn't as if Katniss was a chatterbox herself, but even when she went out of her comfort zone to ask them questions, they seemed to ignore her. If that was retaliation from her previous outburst or a simple matter that none of them spoke common, Katniss was unsure.

However, that wasn't even the worst of all the things she was going through. Her nightmares were back, as bad - if not even worse - than what they had been inside the forest. With no one to comfort her during these episodes, Katniss was now dreading going to sleep more than ever. Such was her dread that now she seemed to have found herself stuck in a vicious circle. She would stay up late until she was so tired that she would end up collapsing from tiredness. Only to be awakened by either nightmares or elves who wanted to change her dressing a few moments later.

Everything that she could think about when she was having those moments of exhaustion was how much she missed Thorin. She couldn't help but miss the way he gently stroked her hand and whispered a khuzdul song in her ear every time another nightmare tainted her dreams. She couldn't help but miss the way her entire body would trill whenever his trimmed beard grazed on her soft skin. She couldn't help but long for their stolen kisses, passionate touches, and by the endless hours they shared on their routinely gazing contest.

It felt strange to her. To miss someone else that much. It felt as if she had finally swapped Prim with Thorin as her safe haven, with her sister turning into memories from her past, and Thorin now becoming her only potential future. She would see herself thinking of the images that Galadriel had shown her, the same images that had once given her anxiety and dread, now were the ones that seemed to give her most hope. Because now she finally could see that the only future she truly, desperately wanted was the one with him by her side. And finally, she was no longer afraid or intimidated by it.

Unfortunately, this new realisation didn't help with her lack of sleep. Katniss wasn't sure if the elves knew about what she was going through with her constant nightmares until Tauriel took some of her free time to pay her a visit out of the blue.

"How is your hand, Katniss?"

The Captain of the guards asked her as she unceremoniously entered her room and sat down on the corner of her bed.

"It's okay, I guess."

"May I see it?"

Instead of answering with words, Katniss offered her left hand for Tauriel to examine.

"It is looking great. Your hand has almost fully returned to its natural colouring. These bite scars, though… they are likely to remain with you forever. They might also sting now and then. The good news is that you will be able to use a bow again in no time!"

"Will I, really?" Katniss asked with a sarcastic tone in her voice, and Tauriel blushed as she realised at once the mistake she made by saying that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"That's ok. I understand it is not you who decided to keep me as a prisoner here."

"I'm sure that if you carry on showing that you are not a threat to our people, the king will eventually reconsider…"

"You know he won't do it, right? I mean, he didn't even give my belongings back! And by that I don't mean my knives."

There was a long pause, where Tauriel looked extremely uncomfortable. Katniss did nothing to ease the elleth's uneasiness, as she thought it served her well for not telling her that her companions were inside their dungeons.

"I'm sorry. It must be very difficult for you."

"It is… some of these belongings… are the only things I have left from my family."

There was a moment of silence when Tauriel avoided looking Katniss in the eyes again. Katniss sighed. This was getting old. She could sense that Tauriel had wildly different points of view from their king in some aspects, but she wouldn't go against his wishes, loyal as she was.

"Riniel told me you are having trouble sleeping. She said you suffer from warrior's nightmares."

"So they can hear my screams. I have been wondering if they could... it has been a while..."

"Warrior's nightmare only occurs with those who had to deal with a great deal of grief and sorrow. You must have fought many battles despite your young age."

"I guess you could say that…"

"Is there anything you think we could do to help you?"

Katniss gave a dry laugh.

"If you can find my companions and allow me to be reunited with them, that would be a great help."

"I can try to take your plea to the king, but I don't see him wanting to do that."

"Are you telling me that they are here?"

Katniss tried to force some surprise to colour her voice as she said that, though she was almost sure that would not look very convincing at all. Katniss Everdeen was many things, but an actress wasn't among these. Even though she had deceived an entire nation to believe she was in love with a boy who she wanted nothing but to save from a terrible fate.

"You did not hear this from me!"

"You can confirm that they are here, then?"

Tauriel promptly stood up, feeling guilty for both having revealed so much information for the girl, and for being forced to carry on hiding the truth from her again. The Captain of the guards started making her way to the door, when Katniss hushed to stop her. Katniss was not ready to see Tauriel leave her. It had been such a long time since she had talked with another person.

"Wait!"

"I'm sorry, but I have duties that demand my attention."

"If this is true, and you see Thorin, can you tell him that I accept his courting, engagement, whatever he wants to call it?"

Tauriel blushed as Katniss made that unexpected request to her. There was pity and sorrow in the elleth eyes.

"You are not supposed to know that they are here. And neither are they allowed to know about your presence in our kingdom. I'm sorry, but these are the king's wishes."

"Please? I won't tell a soul."

Tauriel paused for a moment, as if she was considering Katniss' request.

"Have a nice day, Katniss," Tauriel said before she gave her any hint if she would do what the brunette requested or not. And soon Katniss was left alone once more.

Another person who came to see Katniss a few days after her meeting with Tauriel was Bilbo. To say that Katniss had been delighted with the hobbit's visit was a massive understatement. When Bilbo appeared, giving back her Mockingjay pin, and saying the words that Thorin had asked for him to pass over, she hugged the hobbit as she almost cried of happiness.

"Bilbo! You don't know how nice it is to hear this news from you."

"It is nice to see you too, Miss Katniss. I'm feeling like a burglar that is being forced to go miserably, burgling the same house day after day!"

"And I am feeling like a songbird locked in a cage. I have been so lonely here..."

"Oh, me too, Miss Katniss! I wish I was back in my hobbit-role, when my only worry was how to find another excuse to decline Lobelia's invitation for tea…"

"It sounds like such a tranquil, happy life…"

"It is, Miss Katniss, it is. And I miss it dearly!"

"These elves… they are not like the ones from Rivendell, you know?" she said that as she tried to fix her old pin that Bilbo had given her somewhere in her corset where the elves would not be able to see.

"Please tell Thorin that I am missing him. And that he better keep that promise, because I'm ready to accept his courting, and marriage proposal, and everything that will come along with that…"

Bilbo actually squeaked after hearing her saying these words.

"Thorin is going to be so delighted when he hears that, Miss Katniss! Oh, I can't wait to see how his boys will react to this news!"

"I wish I could be there to see it too…" Katniss said, the sadness she had been feeling lately returning to her semblance.

"Don't let these thoughts drag you down," Bilbo said, trying to encourage her. "Listen up. After weeks wandering around these halls, watching the guards and stealing food from stores and tables when no one was at hand, I believe I have finally found another way out of these lands!"

That was enough to ignite a fire inside Katniss, who promptly sat up straight as she readied herself to hear the hobbit's escape plan. Bilbo's plan would require some amount of sheer luck. It was essential that the hobbit successfully stole the keys from the cells where their dwarrow companions were locked. It was also vital that they would not be spotted by anyone as they made their way down to the Woodhealm cellars. Considering how louder they were, compared to the hobbit, Katniss thought it would certainly be a miracle if they all made it safely to the barrels.

"We must try it! I mean, what is the worst that could happen? We are all already arrested here anyway…"

It was then that Bilbo pointed out a minor flaw on his plan. The healing halls where she was locked were pretty much at the opposite side from the elven dungeons and their cellar. She would have to escape first, and follow Bilbo around until he got hold of the keys. The more she heard about it, though, the more absurd that idea seemed to sound.

Katniss knew that the only way she could escape her room would be if she attacked the elves. She was certainly feeling strong enough now to do that to one of her healers, but then, to be able to cross an entire kingdom unarmed, following Bilbo, that was a big stretch. Despite that, she knew that their security was likely to be increased in the dungeons as well if she attempted to escape from her room. There was only one decent thing for her to do.

"You must go without me, Bilbo!"

"But…"

"No buts. I have no idea how you can move around without them noticing you, but I will never be able to do the same. If I escape this room, they will know I am gone. This won't help your escape."

"Thorin will never accept leaving you behind!"

"Then you must make him leave me regardless of what he wants!" Katniss then retrieved the Mockinjay pin that she had just placed near her chest and gave it back to the hobbit. "Tell Thorin in private that I am ready to wear his bead on my hair whenever we meet again. He will know what that means. I'm being well cared for here. If he wants to honour the promise he made me, then he must carry on with the quest and take Erebor back. Only then he will be able to strike a deal with the Elven King for my release."

"I don't like leaving you behind, Miss Katniss. What if they do something ill against you in retaliation for our escape?"

"Trust me, they won't. They are elves after all, not orcs or goblins, right?" she said, trying to convince Bilbo as much as she was trying to convince herself.

"What if… what if I send them off through the river and come back here to help you escape? That would be a much better plan, don't you think?"

Katniss stopped to consider Bilbo's suggestion. That was indeed a much better plan than his original idea of getting her first. Bilbo could stay hidden with her until a good opportunity of escaping arrived. His presence would certainly do wonders for her sleep.

"I don't know, Bilbo. It is a better idea, yes. But…"

"But...?"

"I'm not sure how well they will cope without both you and me."

"And I am not sure how he will cope without you! We are going to face a dragon, and you are the heroine of this quest. Me, on the other hand, I'm just a hobbit; I haven't done much."

"No, Bilbo, you have done so much more than you give yourself credit for. You were the one who saved Thorin when no one else would as he was about to lose his head to Azog; you were the only one who escaped the elven prison, and if what you told me is true about the spiders, you have also saved them there as well!"

Bilbo blushed furiously.

"You can't leave them on their own luck, Bilbo."

"And you can't leave him on his own, Miss Katniss! Thorin will refuse to go if he dreams that we will be leaving you behind!"

"I'm sure you will find a way to make it work. And if Thorin creates a fuss, tell him that it is my choice to remain here. Tell him what I told you about the bead… and that I want this more than anything because I finally figured out my feelings for him."

Bilbo sighed.

"I hope he won't be as angry with me as I fear."

"He won't do anything against you. He might hate these elves, but he knows deep inside that I will be safe here."

She tried to give an assuring smile to Bilbo, who nodded in acceptance. She did not tell him about her nightmares' increase, or how she was losing her mind due to the lack of sleep and interaction with other people, as she was sure that Bilbo would report that to Thorin, who in turn, was bound to worry about her.

Katniss wished that the hobbit would stay there for longer, but she knew he was going to leave her the next time an elf appeared to either bring her food or to change her dressing. She had now completely lost track of time, and she had no idea when it was day or night. She spent the rest of the day with Bilbo telling her all about how much he missed his hobbit-hole, with his armchair and its fireplace. It was endearing. She couldn't help but feel a tad jealous of that longing feeling of belonging somewhere. To be able to miss an armchair and the comforts of a place one could call home. Before, that place had been District Twelve for her, a place that was yet to exist at that time. But now… now she knew that it would soon become Erebor.

Bilbo was surprised by how luck had been on their side. One day after his encounter with Katniss, he found the perfect opportunity to steal the dungeon keys from one of the guards, who seemed to have had way too much Dorwinion wine while he was supposed to be on duty.

The hobbit was pleased by how easy it was to free the dwarves from their cells, and to guide them to the barrels, just like he had planned. They weren't thrilled with Bilbo's plan in the beginning, but the realisation that it was that or staying inside the elven dungeons was enough for them to stop complaining at once. When Thorin asked Bilbo about Katniss' whereabouts, the burglar had been evasive, telling him she would join them later. Without waiting for more protests, Bilbo was quick to pull the lever that made all barrels fall down the river.

The plan was going well, but the elves noticed they were about to escape, and two dozen Orcs seemed to be there, ready to ambush them. One filthy beast shot Killi on the leg, but somehow they managed to both escape and lose the Orcs that were on their tail with no more casualties. However, as soon as they were finally at shore, Thorin went out of his way to violently pin Bilbo against a rock.

"You said she was on her way! Where is she?"

Bilbo looked like he was about to faint when Balin came to his rescue.

"Thorin! There is no time for this. We have a pack of Orcs on our tail, laddie!"

Thorin loosened his grip, but he kept holding Bilbo tightly as he asked with urgency.

"Where is she, Mr Baggings?"

"I'm sorry, Thorin, it was her choice not to come," he said, snatching the Mockingjay pin out of his pocket and giving it back to him. For a split second, Thorin felt nothing but the grief of a rejection he was sure had to be the reason behind the jewellery going back to his hands.

"She asked me to tell you that it was her choice to stay. But she said that she accepts your courting, and that she wants you to put your bead on her hair as soon as you meet her again! She said… something about how she has finally figured out her feelings."

That made Thorin release him immediately, and his cheeks went redder than a ripped tomato. Most of the dwarrowman were both laughing and cheering.

"About bloody time, if I may say so!" Dori said, half angry, half laughing.

"I think this means I win the bet! I said she would give it up to him as soon as we were all out of these dungeons."

"And then you would be wrong, because she is not here now, is she?"

"Shut up, you lot! Thorin! Orcs are not far behind. Ibil, uzbad!"

Balin's wise words were all the reminder that he needed to put his mind back where it was needed. Oin was already trying to mend Kili's leg. They needed to carry on moving. He knew they would need to find a way to cross the river.

Before he could come up with a plan, Bard, the bargeman, appeared, shooting arrows at them, and before he knew it, Balin was leading the negotiation for hiring his boat. Once they had finally reached an agreement, and were all comfortable inside the barge, Thorin finally pressed Katniss' Mockingjay pin on his undercoat.

It pained him to leave his One behind, but it had been her own choice, and honestly, she and Bilbo have done it in a way that left him with no saying on the matter. And considering the minor battle that had broken in the river, and the Orcs that, despite Azog's demise, still seemed to be on their heels, he felt like Katniss was safer there than she would have been next to him. Later, when they were somewhere safe and had their stomachs filled with some warmth-filling food, he would go to Bilbo and ask him exactly what Katniss had told him. Knowing that she not only accepted his courting but also claimed to be ready to become his wife filled him with excitement. Right now, however, he had to force his mind to stop drifting to her and focus on the matters at hand.

Tauriel left the throne room, where they had been interrogating their Orc's prisoner, feeling a mixture of rage and dread.

"The young one, the black-haired archer, we stuck him with a Morgul shaft. The poison is in his blood. He'll be choking on it soon."

She knew that the filthy Orc had meant Kili; the gentle, careless young dwarf that she had spent hours and hours talking about stars and fire moons not too long ago. Somehow, he had touched her soul in a way that nobody had done before. Her heart now ached as she thought about what the orc had said. She couldn't let that be his fate. She wouldn't allow him to have such a tragic death.

After a quick stop by her quarters, where she grabbed her spare bow, quiver and travel cloak and some of her most precious possessions, her father's dagger, her mother's drawings, her brother's diary, some lembas bread, a spare waterskin and gold coins for good measure. After she got everything she needed, Tauriel rushed to the healing halls. There is where she was planning to fetch the one who she hoped would be her complicit partner in the betrayal she was about to make to the kingdom that had been her home since when she was a child.