I do not own any of the characters or The Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC). Those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

Please review, favorite and follow- I love them, especially constructive ones!

Note- Christmas prep season is now upon us (my family doesn't celebrate Halloween), so with the last of winter prep to be done, and Christmas prep to begin (we make most of our gifts for each other, and many of them are made by hand, plus I still have apples and pumpkins to preserve as it is the end of harvest time), updates may be a bit more sporadic until the holiday season is over, though I will certainly do my best to find time to write! Please bear with me (no pun intended).

The last time the young woman had seen the land outside the skinchanger's home, icy rain had been falling in her eyes and wargs had been howling behind the terrified horse screaming beneath her. The beautiful scenery she now beheld had been the last thing on her mind as the weary and injured pair fought to stay atop Deloth long enough to reach safety behind the great hedge. The breathtaking scene before her now seemed worlds away from the memory of that night.

The noontime sun was warm, but not too hot- a far cry from the nearly unbearable August heat she was used to experiencing in late summertime. A gentle breeze wafted beneath the great oak trees scattered throughout the vast garden area, and the sweet smelling green grasses of the pasture rippled like waves upon the ocean.

A loud neigh reached her ears, and blue orbs quickly spied Deloth in the meadow below the house. The formerly terrified, wild eyed beast with white foam trailing down his sopping coat in waves was now dry and grazing peacefully amongst the most beautiful (and largest) ponies she'd ever seen. Their glossy black and white coats shone in the bright sun, and their manes and tails were as white as snow and looked as soft as the softest yarn. Even from her perch on a split wood bench near the house, she could clearly see the intelligence of the beautiful animals in their countenance, and the neighs they made in response sounded remarkably like they were speaking to one another.

A loud buzzing reached her ears, and she turned her head toward the sound in confusion. The largest bee she'd ever seen suddenly whizzed right past her head, causing her to jump backward with a loud yelp. A strong arm quickly reached behind her shoulders, preventing her from falling backward off the bench entirely. She nodded her thanks to Fili, who nodded in return as he loosened his hold on her still very tender shoulders.

"Careful," he chided, returning to his plate, which had nearly fallen off his lap in his haste. "The bees won't hurt you, but falling on your wounds will." The dwarves next to them nodded in agreement.

"Aye, lass," Bofur agreed. Concern was in his gaze as he sat perched atop a sawn off log near the bench puffing his pipe, his meal already finished. "The last thing any of us need is for someone to get even more hurt than they already are."

"That's true enough," Gloin added as he sipped a large mug of honey mead. His gaze flickered between the young heirs, before returning to the young woman. "You need to mind your wounds so they can heal before we leave."

"I wonder when that will be," Dwalin muttered as he walked up toward the group, a sweaty and breathless Bilbo in tow. The warrior sat down on the grass in the shade as the hobbit went to get some water. He set his large axes down beside him instead of in his back scabbard, though the handles remained within reach. "Beorn's been gone for three days now."

"He should be coming back soon, don't you think?" Bilbo asked as he rejoined them, having caught his breath after spending the last half hour training with the burly dwarf. He sat down beside Kili, who was next to his brother on Fili's injured side. Dwalin sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know," he replied, glancing worriedly toward the barred gate in the hedge surrounding Beorn's garden. The large warrior turned his head, all seriousness in his gaze as it landed on the dark haired young prince.

"I hope your standing up to him wasn't in vain, laddie," he said softly. Kili glanced up from his plate in surprise, as did the others. The large dwarf was usually very stoic in his demeanor. "I may have been mistaken about someone once or twice-" the burly warrior sheepishly glanced toward the young woman, then back at Kili- "But...I've never had such a hard time figuring out whether someone was a friend or foe."

Silence descended on the group as each thought about the large dwarf's admission. The sound of bees buzzing amongst the clover nearby and the slight chirp of the birds above their heads in the oaks seemed louder in the quiet. Cirashala swallowed heavily as she stared at the large dwarf, who was visibly worried despite obviously trying to hide it. The others appeared quite worried as well, especially Kili, and she realized that he had barely said a word that afternoon since sitting down to eat beside his brother. He had eaten some, but she noticed that he'd been picking at his food more than actually eating it, if the large amount remaining on his plate was any indication.

Why are they so worried? Beorn is supposed to be one of the good guys, isn't he?

A clatter sounded beside her, and suddenly a familiar tray was set down on the long bench. Looking up in confusion, her gaze met Bombur's. The latter glanced at the somber group in surprise, having been indoors discussing their food supply options with Thorin during the previous conversation.

"Lass, you need to eat up," he said, gesturing toward her unfinished breakfast. "You hardly ate anything this morning! I reckon you'll be blowin' away in this here wind if you don't eat! You're far too thin as it is!" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm hardly thin," she replied, glancing down at the tray in dismay. "And I tried, but I cannot possibly eat another bite." Bombur's face fell, and he gestured at the tray again.

"Are you sure?" he asked, glancing down into the large, half filled bowl. "There's plenty of it, and I can make more if you want." Her eyes widened comically.

"Bombur, I have no idea how much dwarves can eat," she began, hoping to avoid hurting the rotund dwarf's feelings. "But I swear to you, if I eat another bite I am sure I will bur-" A sudden, very large burp escaped her unbidden, causing chuckles to emit from the surrounding dwarves. The young woman's face turned crimson as she swiftly covered her mouth in mortification, and the rotund dwarf sighed in defeat.

"Well, I certainly believe you now," he said, causing her flush to deepen even as Ori sighed and shook his head.

XXX

The tension seemed to lift from the group then, and the usual banter of jokes and stories passed around the circle they sat in. Several dwares glanced toward the large gate in trepidation, but it was soon forgotten. Balin and Thorin joined them, and the dwarf king began to spar with Dwalin. Several of the others began to spar as well, leaving only the injured and a few other dwarves smoking their pipes on the sidelines.

Kili subtly risked a glance toward Cira, relieved to see that her pale face had a little more color in it than earlier this morning. The fresh air and good food seemed to be helping her improve. He agreed with Bombur that she looked a bit too thin and pale, until he remembered how thin the women in Bree were, and realized that she wasn't quite as slender as most of them were. A dwarf woman's shoulders, while thinner than the broad shoulders of dwarf men, were still broader than human women and it was something he easily forgot. Cira still puzzled him in that regard though, as her shoulders were narrower than a dwarf woman's yet a bit broader than most of the human women he had seen on their journey, especially for her height. Still, she had clearly lost a bit of weight since they left Rivendell, and it worried him. Gaze moving back toward his plate, he frowned as he forced himself to take another bite.

To be honest, he wasn't very hungry either. He was sure the food was good, but right now it all tasted the same. Fili's conversation with him last night kept replaying in his head over and over again. He'd tried- oh, how he tried- to keep Fili from finding out his secret. But his elder brother knew him too well, and was able to see right through his faulty attempts at hiding it. His words rang out through Kili's mind, and he couldn't help the sinking feeling he felt deep in his stomach about the whole matter.

He knew he couldn't have her- could never hope to have her love him in return. Her status as a widow confirmed that without a doubt. But it was one thing for Kili to know that he was in love with her, heartwrenching though it was to be in love with someone he could never have. It was quite another matter entirely for his brother to have discovered his feelings for her. Fili wouldn't say anything to the others out of respect for him- he was and had always been his younger brother's trustworthy confidante, and Kili knew that whatever he said to his brother in confidence would not leave his lips for anyone, not even their mother.

But if Fili knows, then I must be extra careful or the others may find out as well. If they discover that I am in love with a widow, then I would be a shamed dwarf.

The young dwarf risked another glance at Cirashala when he was sure no one was looking, then looked quickly away even as his throat tightened in sorrow. All his hopes and dreams came crashing down in his heart as he thought about the courtship he'd dreamed about but would never experience, the wonder of love finally reciprocated that he'd never know, the children he'd never have.

He'd grown up knowing- being sure- that he'd marry someday after they reclaimed the mountain. Doubts had certainly plagued his mind when he suffered rejection and ridicule from the dwarf maids of the Blue Mountains due to his less than handsome appearance. But still, he'd hoped that he'd finally find a woman that he could love with all his heart and that would love him in return, and wouldn't mock him for his leaner frame or sparse beard.

Cirashala was everything he'd hoped to find in a woman. Where dwarf maids had mocked him for his beard or build, she had praised that which he was most insecure about. She had been kind to him right from the beginning, she had courage and a quiet yet indomitable spirit within her that was remarkably dwarven despite being a human by birth, and an inner strength that amazed him. She didn't seem to be aware of it, but she was also quite amusing with her quick wit and sharp tongue, and was quite intelligent. Her ability to prank his unsuspecting brother so easily with the pinecones astounded him as Fili was a very difficult person to prank. And he was quite surprised at her stubbornness and determination, which easily rivalled that of his uncle.

But what he admired most was her willingness to accept and fiercely protect the dwarves though they were not her kindred. The way she would fight alongside them without any of the prejudice or bias against his kin that her people shared, and the way she tried so hard to put others' needs before her own regardless of race were something he couldn't believe. She actually treated dwarves as real people, and not the crude, homeless beggars that other races believed them to be.

And though he never thought that he could find beauty in a woman without a beard, he found that she had grown more and more beautiful in his eyes the more he came to know her. The way her honey colored curls blew in the breeze, the soft pink of her full lips that he wished would smile and not mourn, the pale cream colored skin just tinged with a bit of red on her cheeks, the light, youthful freckles across her cheeks and nose, big blue eyes framed by long lashes that he wished would twinkle with mischief and not be weighed down by sorrow- beautiful eyes that he could stare at forever if he were allowed to. By most dwarves' standards, she would be as homely and plain as he, but not in his eyes. To the young prince, she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen, even if his kin would be unlikely to agree with him on that subject.

His heart felt heavy in his chest as he poked at the now completely mashed squash on his wooden plate, the lumpy vegetable hardly recognizable from the large buttered chunks that had been placed there earlier. What little appetite that was there to begin with was now completely gone as he stared at the miserable mess.

If only she weren't a widow...but she is, and that is the end of it.

A deep growl suddenly reverberated through the garden, breaking the young dwarf from his thoughts even as the members of the company froze in their current positions. Eyes wide, sixteen pair of eyes stared at the large gate in the tall hedge, hearts in their throats.

No one spoke a word as a loud knock rattled the large door a few minutes later, each dwarf, hobbit, human and wizard knowing exactly to whom it belonged to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A response to guest reviewer Guest (first one): You are welcome :) Yup- both Cirashala and Bilbo have finally earned the full respect of the dwarves- no more holdouts ;) With Thorin, the main reason why he said it the way he did was simply because that's about all his pride could manage lol ;) But she does have his full respect now, as well as Nori's and Gloin's and Dwalin's, and those were the last of the holdouts.

A response to guest reviewer Guest (second one): Thanks! I plan on it, as life allows (I have dwarf stubbornness in me too, and I am bound and determined to finish this story, so no worries! Even if some updates are longer in coming than others). I am guessing you are asking for another scene with Kili and Cira? That will happen in a little bit- maybe the next couple of chapters, but remember- they are now with the company, and inadvertently also under company scrutiny (and Kili is absolutely aware of this) simply because they are all together now. Private conversations are difficult to manage if the group is all together and awake. So if you're hoping for more Kili/Cira scenes like when they were separated, that dynamic may shift just a bit simply because they are no longer completely reliant on each other for survival and alone with each other out of earshot of the rest of the company- it's back to the large group, and as such, there isn't as much opportunity for them to have time together but away from the group for a little while (if that makes sense). I hope you understand :)

A response to guest reviewer Kaia: Very, very soon- please be just a WEE bit more patient ;) Thanks!

A response to guest reviewer Guest from TLBTM part 1- Thanks! I'm glad you love it! I hope that TLBTM part 2 has been received equally well, and that you didn't have trouble locating it :)

Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are the best! Thanks for sticking with me for so long! :D :D :D