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.

Wow...how do I even start? I'm SO sorry! I get writer's blocks sometimes but this one has been an absolute beast ;( Please forgive me. This chapter is extra long to hopefully make up for my absence...again, I'm sorry and hopefully this will be the first of several chapters in the next month (cursed writer's block) -_-

Please review, favorite, and follow- it keeps me encouraged! :D :D :D

The look on Thorin's face when the two reentered camp was thunderous, and Cira found herself shrinking back a bit from his piercing gaze.

"Where were you two?!" he growled as he glared at Kili, though the young woman thought she detected a hint of worry as well. The young prince squared his shoulders as he stepped forward, before moving slightly in front of her. Her brow furrowed in confusion for a brief moment, but she didn't have time to wonder why he had done that as he spoke up.

"Cira had to visit the bushes," he stated calmly, though she could see him tremble just a bit. She did not blame him in the slightest, for Thorin's current state would make anyone lesser wither in his glower. "I went with her to guard her on the other side of the tree so she wasn't left alone."

Thorin stared at him for a moment, his expression carefully guarded, before he replied.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were leaving camp?" he asked, his tone clearly expecting an answer.

"Everyone was still asleep," the young prince replied. "We were only gone for a few minutes, and I was listening closely to make sure I could return immediately if there was a problem. We did not go far, and I was on watch. And we haven't seen any orcs for days." Thorin sighed, before looking at him sternly.

"You do not leave this camp without telling anyone," he stated firmly, before training his eyes on the rest of the company. "None of you leave this camp without telling someone where you are going, even if you aren't going far. And you go in pairs." The dwarf king glanced around their campsite warily, before continuing.

"I do not trust this forest," he added, directing his gaze back at the group. "I do not doubt that the orcs may yet follow us in here, and we have to be ready in case they do."

"But I thought the orcs won't go on elven paths?" Bilbo spoke up, stepping forward with a look of confusion on his face. "Everything I read in Rivendell said that orcs hate-" The dwarf king cut him off with a shake of his head.

"You said yourself that this forest feels sick," he reminded the hobbit. The dwarf king kicked at a loose cobblestone at his feet. "This forest is as foul as that troll cave. Elven lands may reek of their occupants, but they are not foul- not like this. Nor do they allow their paths to become ruins." He looked at the group firmly.

"As I said, I do not trust this forest," he stated firmly. "I do not believe that any magic this path may still hold would deter any orc from following us into this accursed place. All of you need to stay sharp, and keep your weapons handy. And do not leave this campsite without telling ANYONE. Understood?" His gaze landed on Kili, and the young prince nodded along with the rest of the group. Thorin glanced at the young woman, before looking back at Kili, and then finally toward the blonde prince, who had moved to stand next to his brother.

"Fili, Kili- you two and Cira need to stay together," he stated. "She does not leave camp without at least one of you. She is not yet skilled enough with her weapons to fight orcs alone." The three nodded, and he glanced around at the rest of the group.

"The rest of you, find someone to pair up with for watch and for leaving camp," he instructed, before looking at the hobbit. "Bilbo, you will be paired up with me, as you are not yet skilled enough with your sword either. No one will leave this camp without the other person with you, and if you must leave the camp at all, stay within earshot." The rest of the company nodded, and the dwarf king looked at the rotund dwarf.

"Bombur, get breakfast going," he ordered. The rotund dwarf immediately started on his task as the rest of the company moved to pack up their supplies in preparation for the day's march. As the dwarf in question began to measure out ingredients for oatmeal and dried fruit, the young woman suddenly had a memory enter her head from the book.

Hungry dwarves fighting with each other, tightening their belts as their food ran out, and eventually having nothing to eat at all as they wandered in circles lost in the forest. Her eyes widened as she saw how many oats were being measured in a bowl, and she looked up at the dwarf king.

"Are we going to ration?" she asked quickly and a bit louder than she had intended. The entire company froze in their tasks and stared at her in surprise, and her eyes widened.

"I-y-you said this forest was huge," she quickly added, flushing a bit in embarrassment as she glanced down at the bowl next to Bombur, before her gaze moved back up to Thorin. "What if we run out?" Balin chuckled a bit as he paused in packing up his bedroll.

"Lass, we have enough food to more than last us to the other side," he said. "Beorn was very generous in that regard." The young woman looked uneasily again at the bowl, before back up to the dwarf king. Thorin met her gaze for a moment, then looked out on the forest beyond their campsite. An ugly, black, scrawny squirrel suddenly jumped from tree to tree above them carrying two equally black lumps in its mouth that vaguely resembled acorns. The dwarf king stared at the mangy squirrel in disgust until it disappeared in the distance, before his gaze returned to hers.

"Bombur, ration out breakfast," he ordered, causing a few confused looks from both the rotund dwarf and other members of the company. "Cira is right. There is nothing fit to eat in this foul place, and it would be wise to make our food and especially water last as long as possible." The rotund dwarf put some of the oats back in the bag with a wistful sigh, and the others returned to their tasks. As Cirashala went to her bedroll, she glanced up and unexpectedly met Thorin's gaze. The dwarf king nodded slightly to her, before turning and speaking with Dwalin and Balin.

Cirashala breathed a sigh of relief, hoping it wasn't too obvious as she began to pack up her bedroll. The last thing she wanted to do was run out of food and water, especially if there was any chance that the dwarves would be stupid enough to leave the path like they did in the book and get themselves good and lost.

Maybe I can talk some sense into Thorin when that time comes.

She seriously doubted it. She normally loved forests, but this one felt unusually claustrophobic even after only one night. She could only imagine how the dwarves would feel even only a few days in, their homes and lives being spent mostly under mountains of stone or travelling across the wild.

If there was anything she'd learned about these dwarves, once they set their mind to something, it was nigh on impossible to get them to change their minds.

XXX

By the time the company had finished their breakfast, most of their soaked belongings had dried in the heat of the fire. The sun was barely visible through the dense branches by the time they packed up and headed on their way.

There weren't many words spoken as they traveled that morning, and Fili couldn't help but yawn frequently as they walked. His eyes felt very heavy, and based on the dark circles and yawns of the others, he had a feeling that no one had slept well the night before.

"Lad, I'm sorry about what I said," Bofur said suddenly from behind him, and the young prince moved over so the other could walk beside him. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset with ya. I'm just tired is all." Fili nodded.

"I think we all are," he said quietly as he looked ahead of them. "Bombur's already yawned about a dozen times, I reckon." Fili chuckled a bit.

"You're counting?" he asked as he looked at the miner. Bofur shrugged.

"Not much else to do to pass the time," he said, yawning once more. He looked ahead of them curiously for a moment, and the young prince followed his gaze. Kili and Cira were walking ahead of them, and despite their waking before the others, they seemed to be the only ones who had gotten any sleep.

"Why are they so awake?" he asked, confusion in his voice. Fili shrugged as he shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, looking at them more intently. "Maybe they just slept better than we did." The miner nodded his head, before becoming silent again.

The young prince looked more intently at his younger brother and the young woman. He had noticed a change since they reentered the camp that morning. His brother's shoulders were no longer sagging, and Cira's face no longer bore such worry and heartbreak.

They must have worked it all out.

He knew that his brother could not give up the love he had for her, but the young prince was quite relieved that Kili and Cira had resolved their feud. He did not like being in the middle of it at all. But more importantly, he was glad that his brother had somehow figured out a way to restore their friendship.

I know it is hard brother, but I am glad you took my advice. She needs your friendship, and you need hers, even if it can never be more than that.

Although he knew that they could never marry, the young prince could not help but feel like an elder brother to the young woman, despite her being a human and him a dwarf. He had a suspicion that her life had been a hard one even prior to the death of her husband and children, and the protective instinct he had with Kili had begun to extend toward her as well as his friendship.

No matter what happened, he could only hope that neither his brother nor the young woman would get hurt. Nearly losing them both, especially Kili, had opened his eyes to the very real dangers that lurked in Middle-earth, and the very real possibility of death.

He glanced down at the knives in his bracers that he had somehow managed to save in Goblintown, before looking ahead at the hilt of Cira's sword by her hip. He stepped off to the side as he walked and began to allow the others to pass him so he could speak to Oin privately in Igleshmek. Mahal willing, she was healed enough to resume her weapons training as soon as they made camp.

He knew that if the young woman were ever to survive in the wilds, she needed to master her sword as quickly as possible. He and his brother would make certain of that.

XXX

The company stopped for a midday break only long enough to visit the bushes and parse out the beans and beginning to stale bread that had been soaking as they walked, before continuing on, each and every one of them determined to get through the foul forest as soon as possible.

Kili wished he still had his bow, his mouth watering at the mere idea of meat, but the only thing they could see were some mangy, scrawny black squirrels with sap matted in what was left of their fur and a few ugly birds that looked decidedly unappetizing. After hours of seeing nothing that he would even think about roasting over an open fire, he gave up on ever getting the chance to have meat until they reached the other side of the forest.

Even if I had my bow, there's nothing fit to eat here.

His eyes drifted away from the grotesque trees and toward the young woman ahead of him. He was relieved that things were, more or less, back to the way they were. His shoulders felt significantly lighter than they had before, even if the love he had for her still remained a burden. His eyes landed on the hilt of her sword, and he made it a point to at least show her more sword moves that evening, even if she wasn't yet healed enough to fight. His eyes went up to the top of her pack, before widening suddenly in panic.

"Cira!" he exclaimed, stopping the young woman as he moved beside her. "Are you hurt?!" His sudden exclamation stopped the rest of the company in their tracks as they turned and stared at the pair in confusion.

"Huh?" the young woman replied, her brows furrowing in confusion. "No, why?"

"You're bleeding," Kili replied, his eyes roaming over her in worry.

"What?" she asked, still obviously very confused. The young prince gestured toward her pack.

"You have bloody bandages in there," he said, worry in his voice as he turned toward the healer. "Oin!" Her eyes widened in recognition, before her face turned crimson.

"K-Kili, I'm not-" the flustered young woman said quickly, but Kili cut her off.

"You're hurt," he said, reaching out to her arm. "You need-" Gloin cut him off, grabbing his arm as he pulled him aside. The red-faced young woman avoided his gaze as she quickly rushed to the front of the group.

"Laddie, she's fine," he said firmly, looking the young prince dead in the eye. Kili shook his head.

"No, she's blee-"he began, but the elder dwarf cut him off again.

"She's FINE," he stated very firmly. "Laddie, let it go." The elder leaned in close, his voice low. "You've embarrassed her enough already." The young dwarf looked at him in confusion, before looking up at the young woman, who had passed everyone in the company and was now at the head of the group clearly avoiding everyone's gaze.

Gloin let go of his arm and moved ahead of him. The others starting moving as well, with the young woman leading the group just behind Thorin. Fili came up to his side and the two looked at each other in confusion.

"What just happened?" Kili asked him. Fili shrugged as he shook his head slightly, indicating he had no idea either.

"Are you two coming?" Bofur asked as he passed by them, and the pair continued on the path, still just as confused as before as they walked at the end of the line. The young dwarf looked at the distant back of Cirashala, noticing that she had shrunken into herself again like she had early on in their journey, and felt horrible for embarrassing her, though he had no idea why.

What did I do?

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A response to guest reviewer Kaia- thanks! And I will do what I can :)

A response to guest reviewer Kit-kat- thank you :) Yeah, the whole love at first sight trope is false and stupid and unrealistic. I strove very hard to avoid that failing that is present in so many stories. And yes, Cira can be competent or completely incompetent LOL- it depends on what skills she actually does have from former experience- like lighting a fire- and what skills she's learning, like using her sword and becoming more proficient with her bow, and what she doesn't yet know or hasn't learned. I find that to be FAR more realistic than the idiot mary sue stories where the female OC can do everything and resembles a Barbie doll. It's idiotic and stupid. I'd rather write a story with realistic characters than unbelievable (in a bad way) ones any day ;) As for story length, I've already surpassed 300,000 words in part one and am up to about 80,000 in part two (I'm estimating some off for review responses and author notes) and it's nowhere near done, so I think I got the "long and hearty" part down lol ;)

A response to reviewer SunnySides- I'm sorry I ruined you? ;) I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much though :) Wow- you must not have kids then! My kids interrupt me when reading quite a bit, so between them and life this long of a story takes me several days. If I read it myself, I could easily read it under 24 hours because I'm a very fast reader. Ouch though- hope you weren't too tired the next day! Still, glad you loved it :)

A response to guest reviewer Teeshadii- lol I guess if you're two days into a new year that's not hard to do! ;) You're very welcome- I strive to reply to all reviews :) If you are kind enough to leave me one, I'm more than happy to do so :) If you review as a user, not a guest, I can even offer spoilers at your request if you want in exchange for the kind reviews :) Or answer questions too :) I can't do that on guest reviews because it could spoil some things for people who don't want to be spoiled, but I will still reply to them anyway :) I know it's been lousy. I'm repainting the inside of my entire house, and with vaulted ceilings and the fact that I had to do a basecoat first and move furniture out of the way and then am painting a log cabin effect on them after the basecoat is done (that part has to be done by hand, not with a roller), between that and life stuff, it's been really tough to write :( I thought I could get most of it done when hubby was on vacation, but he ended up throwing up sick for half of it, and then I ran out of the artist paint colors and had to special order them online, so between everything it's taking me WAY longer than I thought it would. Worth it, the finished rooms look AWESOME, but still cutting into writing time :( But I am trying :) And yeah, any project can take twice as long with my issues because of rest days in between and pain to some extent every day, flaring after a heavy work day, but I am managing as best I can all things considered. I refuse to allow my chronic health stuff keep me from living- I just have to adjust to account for it, that's all. I will update as I am able :)

A response to guest reviewer Guest- Don't worry, this story will be finished :) I've just been overwhelmed with work of late. I'm painting the entire inside of my house to look like a log cabin (something I hope to have someday, but can't afford right now) and I've been working at it since New Year's and still have two rooms left to do (plus my kids' room I'm painting light blue with Frozen accents because it's my girls' favorite movie). Between that, homeschooling (they've been working on stuff as I paint, with me stopping to help as needed), and the chaos that the project is creating in my house (moving furniture, taping up miles of lines (need lines at the bottom of each log and the darn tape refuses to stay on the wall for any length of time it seems), etc) I haven't been able to spare time for anything else :( My rest days leave my brain unable to focus on the story :( But as soon as it's all done, I will update more frequently for sure! I am doing my best, but I don't have any spare time right now til this painting project is done (I'm trying to get it done before spring because then I need to be outside working the minifarm prepping things for planting, etc). I'm glad you enjoyed the story and thank you for the well wishes :)

A response to guest reviewer SunnySides: Thanks! Me too. Surgery sucks :( I'm glad you like it so much! Culture- I researched the heck out of Middle-earth and read/watched/listened to every last detail I could about both movie and book dwarves and dwarf culture so I could get it right (and deduced based on what little info was available and how Tolkien viewed his world to extrapolate details that weren't as clear). I wanted it to be clear that this was THE Middle-earth and not some Disneyfied facsimile of it, so this story is the culmination of literally years of research (plus my alternate storyline) so it was identifiable as Middle-earth proper. I am a detail oriented person (to a fault at times lol ;) but it's because I want the reader to immerse themselves in Middle-earth. Isn't that why most of us read, especially Tolkien? If a book/story can't immerse the reader, then what's the point? At least that's how I view it :) OC dropping the bomb about her being from another world I'm guessing? Nope- Cira is honestly too afraid to do so. That being said, she isn't perfect and as you said, little firecrackers do hint. She's very, very good at keeping a secret, but she's only human as well and sometimes her guard is let down enough to accidentally let out a tidbit here and there that she honestly shouldn't know but does. But she's conscientously trying her darndest to not reveal where she's from because she knows (and Gandalf confirmed) the danger she and anyone close to her would be in if she did, and she doesn't want anyone else to get hurt on her account. Besides, truthfully the story has diverted enough that she honestly has no idea what will happen now (she knows what's SUPPOSED to happen, but doesn't know what will given the changes that happened due to her arrival), so it would be foolish as well for her to spout off all sorts of "future" events that may not happen (or happen as she said they would) and she also knows the dwarves would think her absolutely crazy if she starts randomly spouting off the "future". Either way, she won't reveal anything for that reason (not intentionally anyway, and given this is viewed by all I won't enter any spoilers beyond this- if you want more, you'll have to pm me). Updates- I will do so as I can (and as my stupid brain allows- I know the storyline but despise writer's blocks that interfere with transitions from one point to the next -_-).

Many thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are all amazing! :D :D :D