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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Happy new year everyone! :D

The morning dawned early. Cirashala blinked as the sound of a ladle clinking against a pot sounded through the campsite. She glanced up, seeing the large form of Bombur crouched by the fire.

She wasn't quite certain when she'd fallen asleep, but she didn't doubt that it had been late. The last thing she remembered had been crying herself to sleep. The young woman reached up absentmindedly to rub the bleariness from her eyes, before frowning. Something felt off. She glanced down at her splinted hand, her eyebrows coming together in confusion.

Something's...strange. It doesn't hurt-not like it did last night.

Her mind went through the possibilities, but she couldn't come up with a good answer as to why her hand felt so much...better.

Oin didn't give me medicine last night...did he somehow do so after I fell asleep?

No, she was certain she would have awakened had someone tried to pour liquid down her throat in her sleep. The sound of Balin's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Lass, it's time to get up," he said quietly as he crouched down beside her. She nodded, before realizing that the old dwarf hadn't moved. The young woman glanced up to find him looking at her oddly.

"Is something wrong, Cira?" he asked, frowning as his eyebrows furrowed together. "You look rather...startled." She glanced back down at her hand again, before looking back up at him and shaking her head.

"I think I'm just still half asleep, that's all," she mumbled, still very much confused herself. The old dwarf smiled, before patting her shoulder and rising to his feet.

"Best you be up then, half asleep or no," he said, before glancing uneasily around their copse. "Sunrise isn't far off, and we need to get on the road as soon as possible." Cira nodded, before doing as bidden.

Once she staggered to her feet, she glanced up- only to meet Kili's gaze, the latter having just returned from the bushes. He seemed just as startled as she was as their eyes met, his eyes wide. A flash of hurt crossed his face, before he quickly turned away, his jaw tightening. She once more felt guilt pool in her stomach at the harsh words of the night before.

I'm sorry, Kili. I didn't mean it- I swear. I was just SO mad at the whole thing, she longed to say, to assuage the hurt and repair the friendship. But fear, and Thorin's harsh reprimand, held her back. She did not wish to start an argument again, especially right before she had to ride with him all day. She wasn't certain Kili was ready to forgive her, even though she was more than ready to apologize.

What am I going to do? What if...what if he doesn't forgive me? Dwarves have long memories of hurts...

The young woman blinked back the tears that threatened to form at the thought of having forever lost his friendship as she looked at the fire. The day was already warming, but it was still cool, and a warm meal before the road would be welcome.

I will just have to figure it out, I suppose. And...I hope he forgives me. I don't want to lose his friendship. That's the last thing I want.

But she had no idea how to repair it. Her eyes landed on the blonde prince, the latter having just tied his pack to his pony.

Maybe he will know...it's worth asking.

A bowl was suddenly thrust into her vision, and the young woman looked up into the smiling face of Bombur.

"Eat up, lass," he said, handing her the bowl. "We have a long ride today, and we'll be leaving in just a few minutes." Cirashala nodded, accepting the bowl though she didn't really feel like eating.

When we make camp, then I will try to find a way to ask Fili what I should do. That is, if he isn't mad at me too.

XXX

Dwalin stood at the edge of their copse with Thorin and his elder brother, warily surveying the landscape. He wasn't a dwarf given to luck, but he had to admit- maybe he had been wrong, and luck was indeed on their side for a change. If there were orcs in their vicinity, he was sure they would have been attacked by now, especially given the absurd volume Kili and Cira had during their argument of the night before.

The burly dwarf shook his head at their foolishness. He knew-from that moment on the mountaintop when their "igloo" held- that she wasn't stupid. He couldn't believe that she had shouted at Kili, of all dwarves. The two had quickly formed a friendship outside of Rivendell, and Kili had never had a strong word toward her that he had seen-until the last few days.

And he had known Kili from the moment he had been born, and couldn't believe how he was acting toward the young woman after he'd risked Thorin's wrath to take her to Rivendell, and then again at the river when she'd nearly been swept away by the current.

And now- to give their position away like one of the famed beacons of Minas Tirith all because of a simple argument-the lad could indeed be reckless at times, but he hadn't been that stupid for many years. The burly dwarf couldn't make sense of the sudden change in demeanor of both of them.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as the sun crested the forest to the east, illuminating the vast river valley before them. Not an orc or warg was in sight, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps they would have respite again today.

"We need to turn northeast now if we are to reach the elven gate, according to Beorn's map," Balin said to Thorin. The former had the parchment splayed out on the somewhat flat surface of a stone protruding low from the ground in front of them. Balin crouched in front of it, before pointing out where they were on the worn map.

"I believe this is our copse," he said, looking up at the other two dwarves as he pointed to a small clump of trees drawn onto the parchment. "Beorn did us a great service by letting us borrow this map. It is far more detailed than the one we had before." Thorin nodded.

"Aye," he agreed. "It will be a great help, as it's been many long years since we've traveled this road.."

The three dwarves fell silent, each remembering the difficulties of that first year. Smaug had driven them out at the beginning of autumn, and by the time they'd reached this part of the Anduin vale, winter had been in its full fury. They'd lost many dwarves that winter to the bitter cold and blowing snow, including many women who had died in childbirth and children who were not dressed warmly enough for the harsh conditions. And many more had died from starvation due to Thranduil and Laketown refusing to aid them after Smaug came.

"Thank Durin it is summer," Balin said at last, though his tone bore a hint of grief as well. "It would be far more difficult to find the landmarks on this map if they were buried beneath snow and ice." He rolled up the map and stood to his feet.

"We will turn northeast then," Thorin agreed. "Balin, you have keen eyes, so you will ride up front alongside me. I do not want to risk missing any of the landmarks and we will be traveling at speed."

"I'm sure Gandalf won't let us miss them," the older dwarf said, a slight twinkle in his eye. "But if you wish for me to ride alongside you for the company, you can just say so." Dwalin snorted, before looking at his longtime friend with a smile on his face. Thorin smirked as well, but he didn't argue the point. The burly dwarf knew he wouldn't, and he knew that Thorin knew.

"Aye," he said, patting Thorin's shoulder before looking toward the camp. "Don't you worry none, laddie. We won't let you get lost-this time." Thorin gave him a pointed look, and Dwalin smirked, before looking uneasily back on the landscape before them.

"Do you think the orcs will let us be?" he asked, frowning. "I don't see any sign of them anywhere." Thorin shook his head, before following his gaze.

"I don't know," he said. "I do not think any are near us, else they would have attacked us last night. But let us not tempt fate. We need to get on the road." He entered the copse once more alongside his old friend, and Dwalin followed.

XXX

Kili wasn't sure what to make of it. Last night, his ribs had been hurting-badly. But this morning when he awakened, he didn't feel any worse for having slept on rocky ground the night before.

He felt incredibly foolish for his actions the night before. Thorin was right- he had risked the lives of everyone in the company when he lost his temper. He knew he bore the infamous temper of Durin's line, but he was usually far better about keeping a tight rein on it.

As his gaze unexpectedly landed on the young woman, he felt deep hurt once more bubble up within him. He truly hadn't meant to break her hand- it was an accident. Azog had startled him badly, and he hadn't even realized how tightly he squeezed her hand until she bit his coat and he turned around. Once he saw the swollen limb, he had been completely horrified at what he'd done, even by accident, and had done everything within his power to help her when she needed two hands for a task. He'd even braided her hair, for Durin's sake, so she didn't have to cut it off!

He quickly looked away from her, his hurt and anger at her words still near to his heart. The logical part of him whispered that she had just been extremely angry after her near fall off the pony yesterday, and the words were spat out before she realized it. But the emotional part of him smarted fiercely.

He knew he should forgive her- if her words were indeed spoken in the heat of anger and otherwise not from the heart. Her startled and heartbroken look strongly suggested that she felt horrible about it. But try as he might, he wasn't sure he was ready to forgive her- or himself- just yet.

He had thought back to the moment when he had broken it many times, wondering if he had missed something or could have done something different to keep it from happening. But each time, all he could think of were Azog's metal tines suddenly thrusting straight toward his face, and the sheer terror he had felt in that moment. He knew, deep down, that it was an accident. But he couldn't help feeling that it was his fault regardless.

She shouldn't have taken the splint off, the small voice in his head kept repeating. Her hand won't heal right, and she will never shoot her bow again- and it will be all your fault.

He silently ate, before saddling his pony.

XXX

They rode all day, only slowing when the ponies were visibly tiring. Cirashala sat in front of the young dwarf, feeling the tension radiating from his arms.

She'd come up right as they were all mounting their ponies, her heart in her unexpectedly dry throat. The young dwarf still hadn't looked at her as she mounted with Fili's help, and her heart sank. He mounted behind her without a word, and Thorin gave the order to move out.

Now, they were walking the ponies once more- if walking it could be called. It was quite a brisk walk, though surprisingly smooth at the same time. The young dwarf still hadn't said a word the entire morning, and she could bear the stony silence no more.

"I'm sorry, Kili," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear behind her. "I-I didn't mean it, I swear." The young dwarf's hands stilled on the reins, though the pony kept walking, and she knew he had heard her.

He didn't reply, and after a moment he began to move the reins again as though nothing had happened. Tears threatened in her eyes, but she blinked them back as best she could. Still, it was difficult to hold them back as her throat tightened, and one tear managed to escape her eyes despite her efforts. It landed on his hands, causing them to still again as he tensed.

He was quiet still, though very tense for the remainder of the ride, and she gave up any hope for a response. The sun dipped toward the mountains, and Thorin called a halt.

"We rest here tonight," he stated to the group, pointing to a group of rocks situated close together with a couple of trees. "Oin, Gloin- get a fire going, and mind you use dry wood."

XXX

Bilbo couldn't help but notice that, in sharp contrast to the night before, Cira was very quiet. He got his helping of their rations, before settling beside her on the ground.

"Cira, is everything all right?" he asked quietly after he'd eaten some of his beans. She nodded, though the hobbit didn't believe her.

He looked at her closely, wondering if this had something to do with the strange look on Kili's face after she'd snapped at him. Her comment was rather odd, as was his reaction.

What on earth did she mean by, "I didn't exactly plan on breaking it, now did I?"

And why did Kili look so hurt, as though she'd just stabbed him through the heart? Bilbo was certain that it was a miracle the two were even alive after their fall, and couldn't figure out why she was so seemingly angry with Kili for it.

From what I heard, he'd saved her life and took the brunt of the fall himself. Why would she be angry with him for a broken hand? It could have been a LOT worse.

He had an odd feeling that not everyone had noticed Kili's strange reaction to her jab, and that there was more to their story than the rest of the company realized.

"Cira, might I ask you something?" he asked quietly as she stared into her beans and rice. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, before nodding. "Why did Kili...I mean, why did he look so upset when you said what you did? About not planning on breaking your hand?"

The young woman tensed up, and the hobbit wondered for half a second if she was going to break her wooden spoon in half- her knuckles were so white. His eyes widened.

"It's nothing," she said quietly, though her voice wavered. Bilbo shook his head, before glancing around the group. No one else seemed to pay attention to their conversation, so he leaned in.

"Then why did he look so hurt?" he asked. "It's not like he did-" The hobbit stopped abruptly as the young woman visibly froze, and his eyes widened in shock.

"C-Cira," he began, not sure at all how to voice what he was thinking. "D-did...Kili...?" She shut her eyes, and he noticed her swallow heavily.

"I-it was an accident," she replied so quietly that even his keen ears almost didn't hear her. "He didn't mean to."

"What do-" the hobbit stopped as he saw a few of the others look toward the pair in confusion, and realized his own voice had raised in volume.

"What do you mean?" he whispered, leaning in so his voice didn't carry. He looked at her with deep concern. "Kili-he...broke your hand?" She nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Azog almost found us," she whispered, turning towards him. Her eyes were filled with pain. "We had to hide in a small cave behind a waterfall in a creek so they wouldn't find us. Azog got in the water, and-we thought he saw us, because he shoved that-that whatever it is in his arm- right at us. I was scared, so Kili was in front of me but holding my hand on his shoulder, and...when Azog did that, he squeezed it really hard and it-it broke." Bilbo's eyes widened.

"He-he didn't see you?" he asked, and she nodded.

"He got a fish," she whispered back. "B-but by the time we...it was already broken." She turned back toward her beans. Bilbo turned back toward his bowl, eyes wide as her harsh words and Kili's hurt expression suddenly made sense.

"I didn't mean to say that," she whispered after a moment. She turned back toward him, her expression one of misery and regret. "I-I was just mad about falling off the pony, that's all. I swear." Bilbo nodded, before patting her arm.

"We all say things we don't mean when we're angry," he said quietly, before glancing across the camp at the young dwarf. "Did you-" She nodded, cutting him off.

"I-I tried to apologize," she said quietly. "On the ride- but he- he didn't say anything." Bilbo frowned, sighing.

"Maybe he's not ready yet," he said gently. She looked up at him, seemingly close to tears but not quite there yet. He smiled. "But I'm sure he'll forgive you." She looked forlornly across the fire.

"Are you sure?" she whispered. "Dwarves are stubborn." Bilbo chuckled, and she looked back at him in surprise as he shook his head.

"And you're just as stubborn as they are," he said with a slight twinkle in his eye. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a dwarf too." His gaze softened, and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Cira," he said reassuringly. "He'll forgive you- you'll see. Maybe...maybe he just needs some time, that's all." She nodded, blinking back her tears. He went to stand up, but a slight touch of her fingers on the edge of his coat stopped him.

"Thanks," she said quietly, and he nodded, smiling once more.

"You're welcome."

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A response to guest reviewer Guest: You're very welcome :) Yup, Cira lost her cool. She is normally quiet and polite, and has a long fuse-but she does indeed have a temper under all that, and once that fuse goes she's pretty fiery. Thanks- yup, I loosely based her off a real person I know, flaws and all, so that I could make sure the flaws and good points balanced each other out :) Thank you again! :)

A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan: It is very stressful, but he is in graduate school (uni) online working in his master's of mental health counseling, so in a year he won't have to worry about retail managing anymore :) That is very true. Did you like the chapter? Happy New Year to you too! :D

To all who review, favorite, and follow- you are so wonderful! Please keep the reviews coming- they are highly encouraging :D :D :D