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.

Guess what? I AM A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! As in, I wrote, edited, and published my first novel! I am SO sorry for the huge lapse in my updates for TLBTM (understandable I hope, considering I was writing my novel). I hope my dear readers are still wishing to continue on with TLBTM, and I hope to become better at updating more regularly, despite my writing schedule for my next novel (in the works- stay tuned!)

If you would like to read my novel (set in 1870's Colorado Territory, US), go to amazon DOT com and look it up under "Amanda Longpre' Amazing Grace". It is available both on kindle (free for kindle unlimited subscribers until January 19th, 2018) and print (on prime as well).

You know what is euphoric? Holding a book with YOUR name on the cover that YOU wrote! There's no greater feeling it seems (except maybe getting reviews- my novel has already gotten a 5 star review for print and a five star rating on kindle! Yippee!) You can also find my author w-e-b-s-i-t-e at tweetzone86 DOT wix site DOT com / amanda – longpre (delete dashes and replace dots with . )

On that note, after you read this chapter, please review, favorite, and follow-it keeps me encouraged :D :D :D (and if you read my novel, please review that too-I'd REALLY appreciate your thoughts on it ;)

Ahem...onward!

The group walked for hours. It was daytime, but one could hardly tell the difference between daylight and a moonlit night; such little light passed through the thick canopy above.

Kili was mortified, though he did not know why. Gloin had said that he'd embarrassed her, but why? What had he done that was so embarrassing? Shown concern over clearly fresh blood? He honestly did not know what he had done wrong, but whatever it was, he needed to apologize for it. The problem was, he had no idea what to apologize for.

The day slowly grew darker, and Thorin called a halt. The group began to set up camp, and Fili approached him.

"Brother, I don't know what happened," he said quietly, "or why she was embarrassed. But you need to apologize to her, because we have to continue her training and I do not want any animosity between you two. Not again." Kili's eyes met his, and he nodded. He did not wish for further animosity either.

"I do not want to embarrass her more," he replied quietly. He glanced at the young woman hesitantly. "But I do not want to pull her away from the others again—not after the way Thorin reacted this morning." The blond haired dwarf nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps it would be best if I trained her alone this evening," he suggested. "Then you and her can take watch, and you can apologize to her then." Kili nodded in agreement. The only way their conversation would remain private was if it happened after everyone else was asleep.

The one thing he knew above all else was that he did not want another feud between them.

XXX

Cirashala could not seem to look anyone in the eye as they made camp. She assisted Bombur with preparing supper, which consisted of beans and the last of the baked bread just like their noon meal. They also roasted several summer squash that Beorn had given them, and though she missed the seasoned salt and butter she usually sauteed them in, she was very thankful for the fresh vegetables. Goodness knows when they would get more after their current supplies were gone.

The dwarves seemed rather hesitant to strike up a conversation with her as well. Even Bilbo avoided her gaze, and she knew that any hopes of further privacy on their journey were long gone. She would be fortunate to have privacy visiting the bushes at this rate. Once more, she missed some of the modern things she had taken for granted. What she wouldn't give to have the chance to brush her teeth, or deodorant! Judging by the slightly wet-dog smell emanating from the group, she also wished she could suddenly provide a shower and deodorant to the dwarves as well.

None of them had fared well with sleeping in sodden clothes. Despite the bath they had in the spring just before they entered the forest, the whole group was beginning to stink. The whole forest itself stank, and she silently wondered how on earth she would be able to bear two more months at least within it. And she usually loved forests! As she sat down to eat her beans and squash, her eyes landed on the young scribe next to her.

"Ori," she asked, not missing the sideways glance he gave her. "Might you, that is, would you show me more of your book?" The young scribe let out the breath he had obviously been holding, and he pulled it out of his pack. Flipping pages, he laid it down between them so that the food would not spill on it.

The young woman stared in wonder at the intricate sketches of the mountains. The glaciers seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, even if there was no sun to be had in the dark depths of Mirkwood forest. The majestic peaks rose high, and the scribe had masterfully captured the essence of the wispy tendrils of clouds as they shrouded the Misty Mountains.

"You are really a very good artist, Ori," she said as she stared at the page. The scribe flushed a little at the praise, and shrugged.

"Well, a book about a quest has got to have pictures," he stated matter-of-factly. "I want those who read it to be able to feel as though they were on the journey with us." Cira's lip twitched despite herself.

"You mean you want them to feel piled up like a litter of puppies soaking wet and stinking in a dark, miserable forest?" she quipped, and several around the group chuckled, none able to refute her comments. Ori shook his head, still laughing.

"Not exactly," he said, smiling. "But I do want them to be able to read this, see the pictures of places we've been, and for dwarves to sing of the heroics of Thorin Oakenshield and his loyal dwarves for many ages to come." She nodded.

"It is good to be able to tell such stories," she said carefully, trying to make sure her secret remained safe. "I imagine dwarves have a very rich history, and it is important to pass stories along to those who come after us." Ori looked at her curiously, as did the rest of the group.

"What?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Bofur smiled.

"You said us," he said quietly. "As though you are a dwarf too." Her eyes widened.

"No, no, no," she protested. "I-I mean, I would be honored to be a dwarf myself, but I can assure you, I am not." Fili's eyes widened.

"You-you'd be honored to be a dwarf?" he asked in surprise as the company gaped at her. Cira nodded.

"Yes," she said honestly. "You- you are a very noble and kind people. You take care of each other, and you are good and honorable. You have built such beautiful things and your axes have carved through mountains. The same hands that carve stone have wrought even the most delicate and intricate jewelry. You sing songs filled with the pride and majesty of your people, and you fight for the least among you-" she glanced at Thorin, "and you are willing to give even the very shirt off your back to another if they need it." She looked at the group with deep respect in her eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be honored to be a dwarf?" she asked quietly. Respect shone back at her, and Bofur looked at her curiously.

"Are ye sure ye aren't a dwarf, lass?" he asked. Cirashala nodded her head.

"As much as I would be honored, I am not," she said wistfully, before her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you even ask that?" Dwalin shifted in his seat, and Balin spoke up.

"Laddie, she's obviously not a dwarf," he said, his gaze telling Bofur to stop prying. The miner shook his head.

"Then why is she so small?" he asked. "She's the same height as Kili, and shorter than both Thorin and Dwalin. Girls her age are taller than both of them. And she's obviously not a hobbit- she's a head taller than Bilbo!" Dori sighed loudly.

"Her ears are too small, you fool," he grumbled. "And so are her hands." Bofur glared at him.

"But she's too short to be a human!" he protested.

"Bofur, she is not a dwarf," Balin said. His tone was calm, but firm. "Stop accosting the lass."

"But-" Bofur began, but Cira cut him off.

"I'm not a dwarf," she said firmly. "I would be honored to be one, Bofur. But sadly, I am not. Why would you think I was?" Bofur turned back toward her.

"You're too short to be a human," he replied matter-of-factly. She sighed in frustration.

"My mother was shorter than I," she replied. "And she was a human." The entire group went silent, and Balin stared at her with wide eyes.

"Your mother was shorter than you?" he asked, eyes roaming over her face. She nodded, confusion in her gaze.

"Yes," she replied. "She was shorter than me by this much." She held her fingers about two inches apart, and the dwarves looked at each other.

"And how tall was your father, lass?" Dwalin asked, arms crossed as he looked at her. She stiffened, before swallowing thickly.

"He was much taller," she said quietly. "And that's all I'll say about that." He glanced at Balin, before looking back at her.

"Lass," Balin said slowly even as his gaze never left her face. "Begging your pardon, but...how old was your mother when you were born?" Cirashala sighed in frustration.

"Twenty-three," she said firmly. "Wouldn't that be a child to you? I told you she was a human, not a dwarf." The dwarves kept looking at each other curiously, and she fought the urge to leave the camp in frustration as tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

Why won't they listen to me?

XXX

Kili could see that Cirashala was getting increasingly frustrated and fearful. His jaw hardened, and just as he was about to stand to his feet and tell them to stop, Bofur spoke up again.

"Does your mother have hair on his face?" he asked suddenly. Her gaze darted toward the miner as the blood drained from it.

"I told you, my mother is not a dwarf," she said slowly. It was not lost on Kili that she hadn't actually answered his question. Judging by the astonished looks on the others' faces, they realized that as well.

"So she does?" Bilbo asked in shock, having watched the entire exchange silently up until now. Cira was visibly fighting for composure now.

"So what if she does?" she bit back, very defensive now. "I have some light hair on my jawline and upper lip too- that is hardly a beard!" Kili had jumped up to come to her defense, but suddenly froze as her words reverberated throughout the clearing. The entire camp had gone completely silent, and even Thorin looked at her in surprise.

"N-no," she said shakily, realizing the conclusion they had come to. "I-I'm not a dwarf. N-not even half-dwarf. I-I'm a human, a-and so is my mother. You-you don't understand." She swallowed thickly and glanced at the dark trees, and Balin quickly stood up.

"Lass, we didn't mean any harm by it," he said quietly, noting her white face. Kili snapped out of his shock, and immediately went to stand in front of her.

"Leave her be," he said firmly. "If she says she's not a dwarf, then she's not." Balin nodded in agreement, and Bofur hung his head.

"Sorry, Cira," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you." She nodded shakily, before sitting back down on her bedroll.

"I-I know," she said quietly. "As I said, I would be honored to be a dwarf. But...I'm not, and I can't change that." She laid down and curled up in her bedroll without another word.

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NOTE- my apologies if I've missed any guest reviews that have happened between last chapter and this. I am afraid they must have gotten lost in my email somewhere (I have probably 15,000 in there- all read, but trying to dig them all up after months will be very difficult). So if I failed to answer questions from last chapter, please repeat your inquiries and I will do my best to answer them on the end of my next chapter :) Or you can email me through my author site via regular email and I will respond there :)

A response to Penguinprince/Emilia from Sweden- Wow- thank you! I prefer realistic portrayals myself for sure. I don't know how your American English is, but I pronounce it Kee-rah-sha-lah (at least, with my American accent ;) I won't give up on this story- I just have to balance my time with my novel writing and everything else in life. I am now a published author, and need to make sure I get novels out regularly to help increase my reader base (I am self-published, so all marketing, etc is on me as well).

I am starting the first of a series, so with that I have three books to do (with potential for more in the series), and a second stand-alone after that. But I will do my best to try and update TLBTM more regularly than I have been. I just had such a massive writer's block with it because Amazing Grace has been stuck in my head for two years. Now that I got it out, hopefully it will be a little easier to update this one :)

Thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, and followed- you are the best! :D :D :D