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.

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Balin awoke before the dawn. The last bit of starlight still shone through the small windows in the roof, though the moon had long since sunk behind the mountains to the west. His dwarf eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and he could easily make out the forms of most of the company still deep in slumber. As his gaze roamed fondly around his sleeping companions, he suddenly realized that Thorin's bedroll was empty.

Where is he?

Grunting a bit as some of his muscles still determined to sleep, the white haired dwarf rose to his feet. Stepping as lightly as he could over the snoring Nori and Bofur, he quietly made his way to the dining area to revive the banked fire of the night before. A spark suddenly shone in the darkness ahead of him, then several more. It only took a few seconds before the elder could make out the familiar silhouette of his long time friend crouching in front of the slowly growing flames.

"Thorin," he said quietly as he approached from behind, mindful both of the sleeping companions down the hall and the potentially dire consequences of startling a long time warrior. "How long have you been awake, laddie?" The dwarf king looked up at his old friend, having heard his approach despite the elder's attempts to be quiet.

"Not long," he replied, adding another log to the now healthy fire with a barely stifled yawn. He rose to his feet as warmth began to spread throughout the cool room. "I suspect I rose not more than a few minutes before you." Balin nodded in relief.

"I did wonder for a moment if you had even slept last night," he quipped, his eyes twinkling a bit and belying the gruff sternness in his voice. "I am more than certain that you are quite eager to continue our journey." Thorin smirked.

"Aye, I am," he retorted. "And I suppose you are not?" Balin chuckled as he warmed his hands over the fire.

"Of course I am," he replied. "Beorn has been a gracious host, and we are deeply indebted to him. But I am glad we are leaving today. I fear if we stay too much longer, we may wear out our welcome with him." Thorin nodded.

"That had crossed my mind," he stated as he glanced toward the far stall. The elder did not need to be told that his friend was thinking about his injured nephews and how very close he came to losing them both in the mountains. "But we also have Durin's Day to consider as well." The elder nodded.

"Aye," he replied, his voice more serious than before. "We cannot risk many more delays or we will not reach the mountain in time." Thorin nodded in agreement.

"When do you want me to wake the others?" Balin asked. "If we are to leave at first light, it may be wise to wake them now and allow time for a hot breakfast before we depart. And we still have to roll and tie our bedrolls and tend Fili and Kili and Cira's wounds before we leave, and ready the ponies as well. All of that takes time." Thorin nodded.

"Aye," he said. "Go and wake them now." Balin nodded and moved to do as bidden, before pausing and looking closely at his friend.

"Thorin," he said, his tone concerned. "That's not all that's on your mind." The dwarf king looked back at the fire, sighing deeply.

"Balin, do you think it would be wise to leave the injured here?" he asked. "We will have to move quickly to the elven gate to avoid the wargs, and they may not yet be ready to ride at such a fast pace." The elder shook his head.

"As I stated before, we are fortunate to not have worn out our welcome already," the elder replied. "Beorn has been a good host, but it would be unfair of us to ask him to look after those who are still injured after we have gone." Thorin nodded, and Balin continued, his voice low.

"Besides, I would far rather have Fili, Kili, and Cira with us than have them traveling these lands alone," he stated, his voice dead serious. "Beorn said that the orc numbers are growing, and the journey to the elven gate is going to be dangerous enough as is. We do not know where the warg pack that chased us here is, or if there are more. And though unlikely, there is a chance that the orcs will follow us into Mirkwood if they see where we enter the forest. Even if they were completely healed before they left to follow us, Fili and Kili cannot possibly hold off a warg pack on their own if they are attacked. And though she isn't a bad warrior for a beginner, Cira cannot be of much help to them should that happen." Thorin nodded.

"How many ponies does Beorn have?" he asked, and Balin thought back to the meadow the day before.

"Thirteen, I believe," he answered, and Thorin nodded.

"Two will have to share," he determined, and Balin agreed.

"Aye. We have to move at speed, so it would be best if those who shared were the lightest of our group," he reasoned. "And we can shift the weight of their supplies onto the other ponies so we don't exhaust the beasts." Thorin nodded, thinking to himself of the company, and who would need to share with whom in order to lighten the load as much as possible.

"Kili, Cira, Bilbo, and Bofur are the lightest among us," he answered after a moment. "And of the four, Bofur is the heaviest and Bilbo is the lightest." Balin nodded, having come to the same conclusion.

"Then they will have to share," he stated. Thorin glanced up out the window nearest him, where the stars were beginning to fade in the dark sky. Balin followed his gaze, frowning as he realized how long they had been talking.

"Wake the others," Thorin ordered. "We shall take care of who rides with whom after breakfast."

Balin nodded, moving to do as bidden.

XXX

Kili frowned as he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder, and groaned. Burying his head deeper into his makeshift pillow, he reached out to swat the offender who dared to interrupt his sleep.

"G'way," he mumbled. The shaking persisted, and he blinked one tired eye open to glare at the perpetrator. Balin's expression was fond as he shook his head, the elder used to grumpy dwarves in the early morning, and the younger groaned again as a surprisingly bright candle entered his vision.

"Sorry, laddie," he said quietly. "It's time to get up. We're leaving at first light." The elder moved on to wake the still sleeping Fili next to him, and Kili inwardly groaned once more.

By Durin, he was exhausted. The young prince had tossed and turned all night as he tried frantically to fall asleep, which seemed equally determined to elude him. The conversation he had with his brother the day before kept running through his mind, as did the unexpected collision with the young woman later that afternoon.

Why can't I seem to be able to be anywhere near her without panicking and making a complete fool of myself?

The young dwarf knew very well why, but pushed that thought down to the back of his mind. He always had difficulty hiding his emotions from his face, even as a young child, and knew that his honor- and Cira's- depended on him doing so. He had barely avoided revealing his thoughts and feelings to her the day before in his startle, and was determined to not be caught off guard next time.

The young prince stuffed his face back in his pillow again, sighing in frustration. A hand reached out to shake his shoulder once more, and this time, he looked up into his brother's face.

"Kee," he said quietly but firmly. "You need to get up now or you will miss breakfast." With another groan and a few grunts, the younger pushed himself upright, yawning heavily. Blue eyes studied his face, and the elder frowned.

"Nadad, did you get any sleep at all?" he whispered, mindful of the others rolling their bedrolls around them. "You look exhausted." Kili shook his head as he tugged his boots on, knowing his tired eyes betrayed him.

"Not much," he said quietly, picking out a stubborn piece of hay that had gotten stuck in his tangled hair. "I kept trying, but I couldn't sleep." Fili sighed, before glancing toward the opposite stall. The curtain was drawn as Oin tended the young woman's wounds before they left, and recognition dawned in his eyes as he looked back at the young dwarf. Kili swallowed, looking away, and no words were needed for the elder to understand why his younger brother hadn't slept well.

Fili sighed, before starting to roll up his own bedroll. As the smell of oats and raisins and honey reached the younger dwarf, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him of his hunger. Moving quickly, he rolled his own bedroll and tied it firmly to his pack, before rising to his feet.

Fili was right. Breakfast wouldn't wait, no matter how tired he was.

XXX

Their last breakfast at the skinchanger's home was hearty but hurried. The sky was growing lighter every minute, and each member of the company was anxious to be back on the road.

Beorn had left the cabin the evening before, promising to patrol the surrounding lands that night then return early enough to tack the ponies for the trail. Kili continued to drink as much milk as he could before they left, and he noticed that Cira was as well.

Good. She needs to heal that hand as soon as she can so she can defend herself.

The sky was just beginning to lighten to the east when the company left the great house. The ponies were in the meadow along with Beorn, and the young dwarf's keen eyes quickly noticed that their tack was made up of blankets and bridles and stirrups made of tightly braided wool. His eyes widened in surprise, before remembering that the skinchanger likely didn't use any leather for tack either.

Beorn glanced up toward them, before turning and motioning to his ponies and Deloth. The light footed beasts made their way up the slight hill behind their master until they reached the table near the chopping block where the company's supplies were gathered from the day before.

"Ready the ponies," he commanded to the dwarves once the company had joined him. "Gandalf, you should take the horse so you do not overburden them." Gandalf nodded, before turning to Kili.

"As Deloth, by all rights, belongs to you, might I have use of him?" he asked, and the younger dwarf nodded. He was all too happy to comply with Beorn and the wizard's request, as he still felt a bit uncomfortable on the tall beast. He was quite grateful for Deloth at the time he was purchased, but equally grateful to allow the wizard to take him now instead.

At least Cira grew up around horses, and knew how to ride one. Deloth would have likely thrown us long before he did had she not known how to handle him, and we would have been killed.

His mind sobered at the thought of their harrowing race to the skinchanger's home several days prior, and he discreetly glanced at the young woman out of the corner of his eye.

We came so close to death...so many times.

Turning back to his task, he tightened the straps on the baskets hanging on the side of the makeshift saddle, but froze as Thorin's voice sounded through the group.

"Bofur and Bilbo, you two will need to share as we do not have enough ponies for everyone," Thorin ordered. "Kili, you will ride with Cira." The young dwarf's eyes widened as he spun around.

"I can take Bilbo," he said quickly, hoping the waver in his voice was not audible to anyone else but himself. Thorin shook his head.

"Bofur is heavier than you are," the dwarf king said matter of factly. "You are the lightest dwarf in our company, and Cira is heavier than Bilbo, so she needs to ride with you so you aren't too heavy for the pony." The young dwarf felt his cheeks flame in embarrassment as his lack of muscle was all but declared openly to the group.

"There can't be that much difference," he argued, and Thorin stared at him.

"You have already shared a horse with her, and her hand is broken," he stated, his glare daring the young dwarf to contradict him. "I know you two can ride safely together at speed even while injured, and Bofur and Cira on the same pony will be too heavy for it and will slow us down."

"But-" Kili began, but Thorin cut him off.

"It is decided," he stated flatly. "Disperse your supplies and hers to those who have their own ponies to decrease the weight as much as possible. Bofur, you and Bilbo do the same." His tone left no room for further discussion as he turned to tighten the supplies on his own pony. Kili's heart leapt in his throat as he glanced at the confused young woman, and he slowly realized that he was drawing confused stares from everyone else in the group as well and drawing far too much attention to himself with his protests.

Turning quickly back toward his pony, the young dwarf began to adjust his supplies so that she could ride with him, his heart pounding with anger and nerves. The sound of light steps reached his ears, and he knew the young woman stood right next to him even before she spoke.

"Kili, do you need any help?" Cirashala asked. Kili's jaw tightened.

"No," he muttered, uncinching his pack and setting it on the ground.

"My left hand isn't hurt," she began, and the young dwarf could feel the hesitation in her voice. "I can still lif-" He cut her off.

"I can manage," he said curtly, removing the rolled blankets off the pony. He refused to look at her, not willing to show his face to her nor the fact that he was so nervous about her sharing the pony that he was barely refraining from visibly trembling.

"Uh, ok, I...I'll check t-the house and make sure we didn't forget anything then," she almost whispered, and there was a very clear waver in her voice now. He heard her turn around, and glanced at her retreating form, his anger at having to share a horse with her all but forgotten at the sight of her hunched shoulders and bowed head. Swallowing heavily, his eyes misted with tears. Fisting his hands in the blanket on the back of the pony, the young dwarf fought for composure as he stared at the ground beneath him.

A set of very familiar boots came into his vision, and he felt his brother's hand rest on his shoulder. Glancing up, the young prince was relieved that Fili made sure he shielded his younger brother's face from the view of the others.

"Was that really necessary?" Fili asked quietly, his expression clearly indicating that he was angry with his younger brother. "You didn't have to snap at her like that." Kili's shoulders slumped as he fought tears.

"I don't know how to act around her," he whispered. "I-I'm afraid that if she sees my face, she'll-she'll know." His brother squeeze his shoulder in understanding even as he cleared his throat. The younger glanced up at him once more, and Fili's gaze met his own.

"You better learn, somehow," he said quietly but firmly. "She's still your friend, and mine too, don't forget. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and you know it." Kili nodded, swallowing heavily as he refused to allow the tears to fall.

"I know," he whispered. "I-I feel awful about it, but I-I don't know what else to do." Fili sighed, before glancing over his shoulder. Kili followed his gaze. The others were starting to glance toward the pair in confusion, and he realized they were still drawing too much attention.

"An apology would be a good start," he said quietly, before releasing his shoulder and heading toward the house as well. Kili watched his brother go, before guarding his expression and grasping the pony's reins as the others were doing. A few confused glances and mutters were cast in his direction, but he paid them no mind as Fili's words went through his head.

You better learn, somehow.

The young prince swallowed heavily. This was not going to be easy at all.

XXX

Fili entered the house, having used the excuse he heard Cira give Kili of making sure they didn't forget anything before they left. Turning around the corner of the first stable, his sharp ears quickly caught the sound of sniffling. His expression softened as he headed toward the far stall.

"Cira?" he asked gently, rounding the stall where she was standing. "Are you all right?" She stood with her back to him, her arms wrapped around herself in what he now recognized was the stance she used when she was hurt and upset. At the sound of her name, the young woman froze, before quickly reaching up and swiping her eyes with her left hand, her right still resting in a sling.

"I-I was just-just checking to make sure we didn't forget anything," she said quickly, turning with a false smile plastered onto her face. "I-I'm fine." Fili didn't believe her for a second.

"You're crying," he said gently as his brow furrowed with concern, and she shook her head.

"I just got something in my eye, that's all," she said quickly. Her reddened face and wet eyelashes belied her words. "I'm fine- really." Fili frowned, but made no further comment. Her eyes glanced outside at the ponies, before turning back toward him.

"W-we need to get going, or Thorin's going to leave without us," she jested, but there was no humor in her voice. The young prince nodded, before gently reaching around her shoulders.

"Come on," he said quietly as he steered her toward the door. Just before they turned the last stall to head toward the door, the young prince turned toward her.

"Cira, please forgive my brother's words," he said quietly so his voice would not carry outside. "He...has a lot of things on his mind right now, and Thorin's comment about him being light-" She cut him off, nodding in understanding.

"I know," she said quietly. "He...got angry with me too when he thought I said the same thing at Meril's house. I didn't mean it that way, I swear, but...that's how he took it. I-I thought he had forgiven me..." The young woman trailed off as her gaze turned toward the dark haired young dwarf just visible through the open door, her eyes misting again. She quickly blinked the tears back, and if it weren't for her damp eyes and red face, Fili wouldn't have known that she had been crying only a few minutes earlier as she squared her shoulders.

"We need to head out," she whispered, and he could sense that she was mustering up as much inner strength as she could manage. The young prince nodded, opening the door wider for her to pass through.

Following her out, he securely closed the door behind him. Thorin and the others were waiting impatiently, and the young heir quickly went over to his pony and grasped the reins.

XXX

"We will walk the ponies out to the forest beyond my hedge," Beorn instructed. "I need to speak with Gandalf once more for a moment, then I will see you off." The group nodded, and began to follow the skinchanger through the great gate.

Kili didn't glance at the young woman walking beside him. They strode on in silence, the young prince not knowing what to say or how to apologize for his curt manner from before. He had seen the evidence that she had taken his manner to heart in her damp eyes and red face, and knew that his brother had every right to be angry with him- he was angry at himself for it.

Reaching a copse of trees northeast of the skinchanger's home, the large man moved aside to speak to Gandalf as the others prepared to mount their horses. Kili mounted his horse, before silently reaching a hand down to assist her up behind him, having reasoned that it would be less hurtful to her still healing back if she were not in front of him.

And it would be less awkward for me to see only her arms, and not have to breathe into her hair or look over her shoulder the entire ride.

He did not glance directly at her, and he quickly noticed she did not glance at him. His gaze glanced down at her sling, and the young dwarf suddenly realized that it might be difficult for her to mount the admittedly large pony one-handed even with his aid. Locking eyes with Ori, he signed quickly in Igleshmek.

I need you to help her up behind me.

Ori nodded in understanding and quickly dismounted from his own pony. As the young woman moved to pull her arm out of her sling, he quickly but gently stopped her.

"Cira, you can't use your right hand," the scribe said gently, before kneeling and cupping his hands for use as a footstool. The young woman nodded gratefully.

"Thank you," she said quietly, before stepping into his intertwined hands. The scribe gently lifted her up as she swung her leg over the animal, her left arm supported by the young prince's left as well.

"Be careful of Kili's broken ribs," Ori cautioned, and she nodded. Slowly reaching around, the young prince was completely unprepared for her voice in his ear, and jumped slightly.

"Please make sure I-I don't hurt you," she whispered, and he felt her trembling against him and heard the hesitation in her voice, and guilt once more pooled in his stomach as he swallowed heavily. She reached her left hand around, but did not rest it against his waist, and he quickly realized she was waiting for him to guide it to where it needed to be.

Gently grasping her hand, he guided it to his waist below his injured ribs, and held it firmly there.

"Hang on tight," he said quietly but loud enough that she could hear him, his tone gentler than before. "Grab your right wrist so you don't fall off, but be careful of your hand." He felt her shuffle behind him for a moment, before her bandaged right hand appeared in view. Grasping her right wrist as instructed, he rested his hand gently but firmly over it, cradling her broken hand in the process.

"I-I'm not squeezing too tightly, am I?" she asked, and he shook his head. Silence fell on the pair as they waited for the order to move out.

In truth, her grip was a bit tight with grasping her wrist rather than her broken hand, but he'd rather her not fall off than worry about his own discomfort. He quickly dismissed any thought that he was basically holding her hand, and tried to convince himself that it was simply to keep her broken hand from being jostled and prevent her from falling off.

But the young prince could not stop the quickening of his heart at the stubborn thought, and hated himself for it.

XXX

Gandalf's expression was grim as Beorn repeated some of the rumors he'd heard during his latest patrol. News of the Necromancer in Dol Guldur was increasingly worrisome to the wizard, and he felt deep concern in the pit of his stomach at the words the large man spoke.

"Rumor has it that the dead have been seen walking the high fells of Rhudaur," the skinchanger said, looking straight at the wizard. "Is it true then? Are there tombs in those mountains?" Gandalf could only look at him for a moment, before nodding his head.

"Yes," he said. Beorn's face became even more grim than before.

"I remember a time where a great evil came to Middle-earth," he said slowly as he eyed the wizard. "This evil could raise the dead, from what I heard, and prolong the life of the living. If that evil has returned-" Gandalf quickly shook his head.

"Saruman the White says it's impossible," he declared, though his voice sounded unsure even to himself. "He was destroyed and can never return." Beorn's gaze locked with his, and he knew that the great man heard his hesitation.

"And what does Gandalf the Grey say?" he asked, and the wizard found himself unable to answer. The hackles on his neck suddenly stood up on end, and Gandalf glanced around uneasily.

"We're being watched," he said quietly, and Beorn nodded.

"Yes, and they will not stop hunting you until the dwarves are dead," he said, his voice dead serious. "Revenge, evil, and death- that is what orcs live for, and they will stop at nothing to get it." He glanced at the sky to the east, where the sun was just beginning to crest on the horizon, then around the forest as though he sensed something even beyond the wizard's ability.

"Go now, while you have the light," he stated as his eyes quickly roamed the woods around them. "Your hunters are not far behind."

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A response to guest reviewer Guest: Thanks! Don't worry- their interactions will continue in the upcoming chapters, but if you're looking for a deep heart-to-heart chat, I'm afraid you will have to wait a little while for that as they try to navigate the new "status" in their friendship (it's going to be a bit rocky for a little while until Kili finds a good way to handle his internal conflict without her figuring out his feelings, and for her as she continues to be puzzled by his "out of left field" change in demeanor towards her). Don't worry- I have every intention of finishing this story :)

A response to guest reviewer Kaia- I know- poor guy will have it rough for a while. Thanks :)

A response to guest reviewer Amanda- Thanks! :)

To all who review, favorite, and follow-you are all amazing! :D :D :D