The next morning flew like the blink of an eye. One moment, Thorin and Katniss were snuggling in their nuptial bed, trying not to think about the busy day they were bound to have ahead of them.

A few minutes later, they were downstairs, ensuring that they had got everything they needed for the last leg of their homecoming journey. Thorin kept doing last-minute checks and giving orders for the others, whereas Katniss decided to busy herself by helping their hobbit, who was having a hard time leaving the room he had been sharing with Bombur.

It turned out that Mr Baggins had caught a horrible cold while she and her now husband had been occupied with the pleasures granted by their newlywed status.

"Don't need to worry about me, Miss Katniss. I'm much better now. Oin's concoctions were helpful, but after that tea the she-elf gave me, I swear, I am good as new," he told her with a forced smile, fidgeting with the ring that was hidden inside his waistcoat-pocket and dancing on his own feet. He truly hoped she would not realise his smile was not genuine.

"Bilbo, you are rocking on your feet," she said with a glint of smugness in her eyes.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You do that when you are trying to hide something. What's up?"

The hobbit mumbled a few unintelligible words and let some noises of annoyance escape under his breath. She looked at him with the fondness that one looks at a small child that has been caught doing some harmless but still naughty thing.

"Well?" she asked again, crossing her arms.

"We've just got here, and now we're off to the road again."

"Oh, that…" she said with a small grin of her own.

"Indeed. I finally got to sleep in a bed again. A bed, Miss, a real bed! Do you know how long it has been since I had such a luxury?"

She shook her head and twisted her lips.

"Eighty-three days, Miss Katniss! Eighty-three! Or since Rivendell, to be more precise. Not everyone had the luck you had. You were given a bed at both Beorn's house and Mirkwood!" the hobbit said the last bit with a frown.

Katniss chuckled at his outburst, but that did little to diminish Mr Baggins' annoyance, if not done exactly the opposite.

"I'm sorry, Bilbo. I will ask Thorin to give you a bed when we reclaim the mountain."

"Well, that's if we manage to make it that far…" the hobbit looked away from her to focus on the window. She approached him from behind and gave him a gentle tap on his shoulder.

"We will," she said, thinking about the happy images she had seen inside Galadriel's mirror. The hobbit looked back at her, and she looked straight into his small blue eyes. "I'm sure we will."

It had been Alfrid the one to guide them all to the medium sized ship that was going to be transporting them and their ponies to somewhere closer to the mountain. Katniss was pleased that nobody had protested when she had decided not to wear a dress for the occasion, and helped herself to the masculine travel clothes that they had given her the previous day. Though the Lake-town's Master twisted his lips disapprovingly when he noticed her wearing a full male warrior attire. However, none of the dwarves, nor Katniss, was bothered by it.

The people from Lake-Town were still wary about getting too close to the Lonely Mountain surroundings, and they were informed that the ship's crew would only take them so far. They would be left on their own for the remainder of their journey. The ship that was taking them was almost too small to carry all the six ponies and two horses, in addition to the thirteen dwarves, and a hobbit, not to mention the ship's own crew.

However, they all managed to squeeze in somehow, and soon they were waving their goodbyes to the people of Lake-town, who had made their departure quite the social event. Ladies were wearing their best dresses for the occasion; both poor and rich children were cheering them side by side, and there was an overall merriment feeling in the air, as their departure brought them some hope of a brighter future for everyone in their town.

As soon as they were far enough, and without any warning, Thorin swooped Katniss off her feet again, making everybody else inside the ship cheer. As she tried to hide her face in his chest, he quickly took her through a small door that led them to a small, decadent, but still somewhat luxurious double bedroom. She looked back at him with her eyes wide open as she took in the pleasant surprise of discovering they would still have their own room and privacy for a little while longer than they expected.

Thorin grunted in approval as he saw the content look imprinted on her face, and he placed her on their new bed before he hastily climbed it to join her.

"Mahal heard all my prayers. We are going to have three more days of Sanûrzud!" he said as he restrained her, using both his hands and legs and carried a hungry glint in his eyes.

"You know… we still haven't married according to my people's traditions…"

"That toasting ceremony you mentioned, right?"

"Aye," she answered using one of his mannerisms of speech. He noticed it straight away and gave her a small grunt of approval.

"We shall do it as soon as we reclaim Erebor. Taking you to the halls of my ancestors and exchanging these confirmation vows on the ways of your people shall be the first thing we do once Erebor is our home once again. You've got my word, Mizin."

Katniss had a candid look on her face and a serene grin on her lips before he claimed them again at once, and she eagerly responded to his touch.

The company was in a contagious high spirit, as they carried on the festivities granted by the continuation of Thorin's and Katniss's nuptials. Many songs were sung, and the ale was being drunk as if they would see no tomorrow. Even Bilbo was smoking more of his pipe than he usually did in normal circumstances. It didn't take long for the men of Lake-town to join their celebration, and soon enough, they were cheering alongside the dwarrowmen every time that Thorin's new wife was being a little bit louder in their bedroom.

"That was my Uncle's wife you heard down there!" Kíli bragged to the men and dwarves alike after a particularly loud moan from Katniss. They all cheered, and Dwalin filled his cup with more ale.

"The rhythm they are gonnae, Ah won't be surprised if the lassie ends up wi' bairn sooner than later…"

"Mahal mahdîth!" Bofu cheered to the sky.

"Mahal mahdîth!" All the others repeated his gesture before they all downed their drinks at once.

"It would be nice… having a little cousin to look after, don't you think, Kee?" Fíli said joyfully after giving a tap on his brother's shoulders.

"Aye. Can you imagine mother's face when that happens? A newborn in the family. Mahal mahdîth. It would be such a blessing! Though... you probably just can't wait until you're no longer the crown-prince!" Kíli laughed at his brother's flushed semblance, while Bofur was ensuring their cups were kept full.

"Fíli will carry on being the second in line for a long time, even after another prince is born from their union. It will be a while until any child from this union is considered old enough to be in line for the throne of Erebor," Balin said with a fatherly smile.

"Aye, that's right laddies. And let's not forget that our lassie's still half human. This is bound to get murky with the council..." Dori arrived from behind them, tapping both younger warrior's shoulders.

"I'd like tae see if they'd dare say anythin'," Dwalin said with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"That's right. Once Thorin gets hold of his birthright, it won't matter what anybody else thinks!" Nori claimed, cheering to the sky with his mug of ale.

"That is not quite right. But I'm sure they will cross that bridge when the time comes," Balin said, patting Nori's shoulders before he left his companions to find the hobbit who had been blowing smoke rings on the quarterdeck with the captain of their ship, whose Bilbo seemed to have got quite close to.

"How are you fairing, Mr Baggins?"

"Well enough. The food has been good and plenty, so I can't really complain," Bilbo answered, trying to mask his own feelings as he stopped smoking his pipe to focus his attention on the elderly dwarf.

"Still… you are looking a bit dispirited. May I ask you why that is?" Balin said, sitting next to the hobbit's chosen spot. Bilbo looked at him intensively.

"We are reaching the very end of our journey. Soon, we will be facing a dragon…"

"Who might be dead," Balin said with a fatherly smile.

"But who also might be alive!" There was a pressing urgency in Bilbo's tone. The elder dwarrowman gave the hobbit a gentle tap on his shoulders.

"I see, Laddie. You are scared."

"Shouldn't we all be? I've been talking to Blackbeard…" Bilbo said, pointing at the captain of their ship who remained quiet, but was still within their hearing range. "He has been telling me stories about things… things that happened to those who dared go near these lands. We are going to the place that most would do anything to avoid!"

"We are going home!" There was a maniacal denial glimmer in the dwarf's eyes. Bilbo sighed, and felt a pang in his heart that was mixed with feelings of pity, fear, and resignation.

"Not my home, Balin. Not my home. My home is in the Shire, inside my hole, with my armchair and my books."

"As soon as you get us the Arkenstone, the sooner you will be back to your own."

There was a moment where both exchanged a long glance. Bilbo sighed again, and the elderly dwarf gave him a small frown.

"Balin, you know I enjoy having a good feast just like the next hobbit, but shouldn't we be a bit more careful with our provisions?"

"Our future king just married his One, Laddie. We haven't had reason to celebrate anything so big for over sixty years!"

"Right. I just… I just think we should be more careful, that's all."

"Don't worry, Laddie. If you have not noticed, we are a resourceful bunch. We can hunt and gather food from the wild like anyone else."

Bilbo exchanged a glance with the captain of the ship, who had chosen that exact moment to look at them. The hobbit then returned his attention to the old dwarf.

"I hope you are right, my friend. I hope you are right."

During three days, they sailed on the rushing waters of the Celduin, escorted by the merchants from Esgaroth. They had given them a ride due to a handsome payment from the Lake Town Master, but also to the promise of making some good business with Erebor in the near future.

It was past midnight when they reached the spot that the sailors wouldn't dare trespass. It was many miles before Dale, and they certainly still had a long way, and many days ahead of them, before they reached their destination. Despite how late it was, none of the crew felt like resting so near the Lonely Mountain. So they hastily helped the Company and their belongings off their ship, and sailed away from them as fast as they could.

It was like the realisation that had hit Bilbo a few days before was finally catching up with the rest of Oakenshield's Company. As soon as they were forced out of Blackbeard's ship, the mood immediately dropped. The cold, and lonely night seemed to pierce their skin and hit them like a slap on the face. Nobody seemed to feel inclined to sing a song, or even to start any unnecessary conversations. All there was left for them to do was to quickly set up camp for the remainder of the night at that desolate and empty land, and pray for a better tomorrow.

However, their mood didn't change when the first daylight came. There was a mortal silence in the air, and nobody seemed to have the will to break it. So Bombur and Bilbo quietly made and distributed their watery oak porridge, and everyone else ate it in complete silence. Even the newlywed 's mood seemed to have sunken. Thorin and Katniss remained together as flesh and bone as they usually were, though it was clear that the warm, complicit smiles and passionate glances had given way to something calmer and restrained.

Soon after they finished eating, Thorin divided them into pairs, as they would be sharing their ponies for the remainder of their journey. Thorin chose one of the horses as his mount and got Katniss to sit in front of him. If the situation was different, he would probably have tried to take full advantage of the situation to discretely work her body up and try to get a reaction from her. However, as they slowly advanced the nearby lands, images of pure desolation left a sour taste on his mouth and little space for any willingness of winding her up.

Thorin pointed forwards at the land which was growing bleak and barren before them. There was little to no grass, and he was beginning to worry about how they would manage to feed their ponies.

"This land was once covered by a meadow. The green grass was covered by wild dandelions, and the lawn grew taller than a young fawn. You see that thick black stump over there?" he said it aloud for the entire Company to hear as he pointed to one of the many black stumps ahead. "That stump was once a fair oak tree. This time of the year, its leaves would likely be dark orange. I remember playing here under its shadows with my brother when we were mere dwarflings."

Katniss held her breath, as she felt Thorin also tensing behind her.

"I'm so sorry, Thorin," she whispered in a low voice, so only he would hear her words.

He gave a gentle squeeze on her shoulders to let her know that he had heard her. They carried on going through the deserted wasteland, which was still covered by ashes.

"I'm really sorry. I remember when I saw what happened to Twelve after the Capitol… I lost it, then. Trust me, you are doing so much better than I did," she whispered her words, knowing he was likely hanging on every single word that left her mouth.

"You told me you were walking through the rubber of your hometown, stepping at the skulls of your own people. That sounds much more daunting than a burned tree stump."

She widened her eyes, as the images of his descriptions painted inside her mind made her feel sick. Then she turned her back to look him in the eyes.

"I'm sure you will have your share of that when we reach Erebor."

He tensed his grip on the horse and twisted his lips. She noticed the little change in his demeanour , but she didn't back down.

"You need to prepare yourself for this. You said most of your people were left inside that mountain to their own luck. We are reclaiming a catacomb, Thorin."

Thorin's horse made an abrupt stop following his command, which led all the other dwarrowmen and their ponies to cease riding immediately after.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" Katniss began to whisper, but the leader of the dwarrowman was quick to cut her off.

"We are making camp here. Gloin and Dori, tend the ponies. Kíli, Fíli and Dwalin, try to set some snares around here. Bombur, Bofur, we are hungry," he said before he dismounted their horse and walked away from the others.

Katniss then quickly did the same, giving the reins of their horse to Gloin before she hastily followed Thorin, who they could still see through the distance.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she started as soon as she was sure she was within his hearing range.

"Katniss, please. Leave me alone," he said without turning back to look her in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" she said, ignoring his request for solitude.

"Just leave me alone!"

"Thorin..?" she called, not being intimidated by his harsh voice. As she reached for his hand though, Thorin sharply recoiled as he tried to avoid her touch. Then he abruptly turned back to look at her.

"Can you do what you are told at least once? Leave me alone!"

Katniss blinked many times, shaken. She would never forget the tears that were fighting to leave Thorin's eyes, and the complete look of dismay on his face.

"All right," she said before she slowly turned away from him and unhurriedly returned to their campsite.

Her face must have been dreadful, as the first thing that happened once she returned was having thirteen worried faces asking if she was doing all right. She quickly dismissed them and chose a spot to seat as far from the others as she could.

Bilbo and Balin, who were the nearest people to her, were quick to ask her what was that all about between Thorin and her.

"I said things I shouldn't have," she said, looking neither of them in the eyes. Instead, she was drawing with a stick she had found on the ground.

"How so, lassie?"

She sighed, but remained quiet. Neither Bilbo nor Balin said anything else for a long time. All they did was to watch Katniss make unrecognizable patterns with her long stick. That, until she eventually decided to say something.

"I told him that he is going to find an enormous burial site inside Erebor…"

Balin's eyes were wide open, and even though Bilbo also looked a bit taken back, it was he who addressed her first.

"Yes, that would make sense. You said many people were unable to escape the mountain, right, Balin?"

"Ye-yes," the elderly dwarf said, no louder than a whisper.

"That was clearly not the right thing to say though…" Katniss said, throwing a look at the place where they still could see Thorin from the distance, quietly smoking his pipe.

"Well, if he is not able to handle the mere idea of that sight, how is he going to manage to see it with his own eyes when we get there?" Bilbo asked, also looking at their leader.

"His mother was among the ones locked inside the mountain when the dragon claimed his new lair," Balin said, pale as a ghost.

"Oh. That is unfortunate," Bilbo said, still glancing at Thorin. "Do you think that it is likely we will find any survivors inside it?"

"Well, the River Running source starts inside the mountain, so whoever were there would have access to fresh water. But, one hundred and seventy years sharing the mountain with a fire breathing beast, and surviving to tell the tale? Highly unlikely, Laddie." Balin gave some gentle taps on Bilbo's shoulders.

Katniss laid down on the dirty ground, trying not to think much of the desolated area that reminded her so much of the rubble she had witnessed in her own District. So she closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was in her Lake, after a long day of poaching in the woods. She thought of Prim, she thought of Gale, she thought of her father, and the days he would take her to the woods and teach her how to hold and use a bow.

"Lady Katniss?" a shaky male voice brought her back to reality and she quickly sat up to face Ori, who was offering her a bowl of potato and onion soup. She immediately noticed that the sun had set while she was napping.

"Thanks," she said, then she threw a look at the place she had left Thorin to find that he was still there on his own. "Has anyone taken some for him?" she asked all the dwarrowmen.

"We were hoping that you would offer to go, you know…" Bofur said, offering another bowl to her.

"Of course," she said, taking the second bowl from his hands.

She adjusted the trousers which were way too big for her body shape, before she began to walk to the place where Thorin had decided to seclude himself. Before she could even get closer, he sighed and spoke at her.

"I thought I asked you to leave me alone, Katniss!" he turned around to face her. Even though he no longer had any sign of tears on his semblance, he still looked grumpier than usual.

"And I did. But someone needed to bring you your food. I guess that makes me the lucky one," she said, offering him a small bowl.

"I'm not hungry."

"Bullshit. We had a tiring day. We will have another one tomorrow. You need to eat."

"I said I am not hungry."

She twisted her lips and rolled her eyes.

"Too bad," she said, shoving the soup on his hands and sitting at the dark stump in front of him. "I am not going away until you eat at least some of it."

He growled.

"You are impossible, woman!"

"Eat!" she demanded before she went back to eat her own soup bowl.

Thorin growled again. He gave her a mortal glare before he slowly started to take some spoonfuls from the meal she'd brought. Katniss, who had failed to be intimidated by the noises and faces he had thrown at her, nodded in approval before she returned her attention to her own soup.

"I'm sorry I said that…" she said a while after they both had started their meal. He grunted.

"I needed to hear it. Because it is going to happen," he said grumpily without looking her in the eyes. "It is better if I break down here, alone, than if I am caught by surprise inside of the mountain in front of the others."

She gave him an intense glare. He didn't want to be seen frail. Of course. She knew that feeling all damn well. How many times had she had to mask her own emotions so she wouldn't look weak to the games' sponsors? How many times had she had to put on a brave face to not worry Prim and her mother as she signed her name to receive more tessera so they would not starve or freeze to death during the winter?

"You didn't need to be here alone, though." She reached his hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Not anymore. You have me now, right?"

He lifted his head to finally look her in the eyes.

"Aye." He gave a small nod. "I'm sorry I've shut you out."

"That's okay."

They carried on in silence, gazing at each other.

She really meant that. She knew how hard it still was for her. It had taken her so long for her to open up for him.

"I know it is not easy." she said not lifting her eyes from his. "I feel the same. I've been relying on my own for so long. And I know it is the same for you."

"Aye," he whispered without taking his eyes from hers. "It is hard. But you are right. I'm not on my own. Not anymore."

He got hold of both of their empty bowls and piled them on the ground. Then he held both her hands on his.

"I will try to let you in more often."

"Thank you," she whispered, as she began to feel her legs going all wobbly again. Would that feeling ever get old when he was involved?

"I am going to ask for you to give me a little more time. I promise I will be back to the group in a moment."

"Fine," Katniss said emotionlessly.

She understood that he meant he wanted to be left alone for a little bit longer. She could relate to that need of solitude, as it was something she often longed for as well. So she stood up and as she got hold of both bowls and started to walk away, he stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Katniss. I didn't give the watch duties for the night. Do you think you could do that for me?"

"Of course," she said with a small nod.

"I will take the first one with… well, I will let you decide."

"Right," she nodded, and then walked back to their campsite, where the mood was still pretty depressing.

They had already put the fire down, as they didn't want to risk leaving it lit, fearing that it could potentially give their presence away to the dragon, so the moon was their only light. Katniss saw herself wishing that she had her night-vision glasses, which she hoped that the Elves would keep safe and sound with the rest of her belongings, at least until Thorin was in a position to strike a deal to have them back.

She looked from dwarf to dwarf, trying to decide who she should pick to be on the watch. Dori and Bifur were already fast asleep. Then she remembered that they were the ones who had been picked for the middle watch the previous night. The middle watch was always the hardest, as one had to be woken in the middle of the night, and then pray that they would be able to go back to sleep.

Thorin never assigned her for a middle watch, so she decided that maybe that was her chance to prove that she was able to do it.

"Balin, you are on the first watch." she said, loud and clear as soon as she arrived back.

"Aye. With who?"

"With Thorin."

The white-haired dwarf nodded.

"Bofur, you are next with me."

"Did Thorin put ye in a middle watch?" Dwalin's eyes were wide open.

"No. I'm assigning myself to a middle watch. Do you have any problem with that?"

"Nae, but. Ye shouldn't dae the middle watch, Lassie."

"Why is that?" she asked with a frown.

"Because you are more likely to have nightmares than most," Balin answered with a gentle tap on her shoulders.

"Right. Bofur, you will be with Kíli then. I will be at the last one with Glóin."

"I've done a watch yesterday, Lassie!" Gloin said with a gentle nod.

"Oh… right." she blinked multiple times, trying to remember who else had been on the watch duty the day before that. Thorin did that so effortlessly. He made all look so simple, as if he hadn't thought things like that through before delegating everyone's tasks.

"It's been three nights I haven't been on watch duties," Fíli said, throwing her a hopeful glance. She nodded.

"All right, Fíli, we can do the last watch together."

"Aye, it will be a pleasure, Aunty." he said with a playful smile.

At that, Katniss sighed and rolled her eyes, regretting her own decision straight away. She passed her and Thorin's bowl to Ori, who was on washing up duties that night. She went back to her spot near Bilbo and tried to ignore the faint smell of ashes that still lingered on the ground. She could almost foresee nightmares about the dismay and wasteland that her own District had become.

"Hey, you did all right, Miss Katniss…" Bilbo said, petting her gently on the head.

She tried to nod, but she was already almost gone. She closed her eyes, and before long, she was engulfed in the sweet embrace of sleep.

Katniss did not wake up when Thorin soothed her by singing another Khuzdul lullaby when she had been sweating and rolling around in her spot, a clear sign that she was having another nightmare. It was still early on his watch when that happened, and Balin had been staring at them from the distance with a warm fatherly look in his eyes.

"How is our Lassie doing, Laddie?"

Balin whispered a few minutes after Thorin had managed to let her go from his lap, and returned to his post. Both dwarves were standing back to back, trying to spot any usual movement ahead.

"She is well. Well as she can be. This…" he said, gesturing to the land around them. "This wasteland… it is making her think about the destruction of her own home town. It is messing with her head."

Balin sighed.

"I was worried about you. Shutting out your One like this, when you should still be in the middle of your Sanûrzud."

"These are not normal Sanûrzud circumstances, Balin, and you know it."

"Aye. I know," Balin said, looking around. "It is sad to see what this place has become. I don't think that any of us were prepared to see that."

Thorin was silent for a moment before helping himself to some ale he had been keeping hidden and saying in a quiet voice:

"Aye. And the worst is still to come."