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 fanfics would not be in existence.

As always, please review, favorite, and follow -it is really encouraging :D

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Bofur had just set foot on the opposite bank, when a loud splash sounded behind him. Eyes widening, he turned around, only to see his brother's face barely above the dank, foul-smelling water. The rest of his corpulescent form was completely submerged, save for a single leg caught in the thick vines.

"Bombur!" he cried in alarm. "Bombur's in the water!" The dwarf rushed to the edge of the shoreline, his heart racing in panic. The rotund dwarf had never been a swimmer. As a child, on the rare occasions they would swim in the streams of Ered Luin, he would only ever go in to his torso, and no further, if he even entered the water at all.

That wasn't what worried Bofur the most, though. For some strange reason, Bombur wasn't even bothering to attempt to stand up. Indeed, it seemed as though he must have hit his head in his fall, because he wasn't moving at all. Fear surged through him, fear that his brother would slip further into the water, fear that he would drown. In all his life, Bofur had never seen his elder brother attempt to swim at all, and he always just assumed laziness was the reason. But now, he realized that perhaps Bombur didn't even know how.

He had just reached the edge of the water, and was fully intent on jumping in, foul smell and all, when suddenly a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind.

"Bofur, no!" Thorin cried. "Stay back, all of you! Don't touch the water, or you'll fall asleep, too!" The miner grew furious, and the others stopped in their tracks at the command.

"Let me go!" he shouted angrily, fighting the grip. "He's going to drown!" Another pair of arms grabbed Bifur, and Dwalin and Thorin dragged the pair away from the edge. The others all started talking at once.

"We could wade in," Fili suggested.

"No!" Thorin said firmly. "Kili, stay away from the water!" The younger prince looked helplessly at his uncle, then Bombur, before backing away from the water as well.

"But, Thorin—" he protested.

"We can't just leave him there!" Nori interjected.

"He could slip under the water!" Bifur chimed in in Khuzdul.

"Bifur's right!" Bofur agreed, now very angry. "He's barely above it as is!"

"Who has the rope?" the young woman shouted above the din. Her voice was so loud that it startled the entire group.

"I do," Gloin replied dubiously. The young woman rushed to him.

"Give it to me!" she commanded, her uncharacteristically authoritative tone leaving no room for argument as she yanked it out of his hands.

"What are you going to do?" Bilbo asked, the hobbit watching as she tied the end of the rope into a loop.

"I'm going to lasso his foot," she replied matter-of-factly, "and the dwarves can pull him out of the water, without touching it." She tossed the loop toward Bombur's foot, and missed. The miner shook his head as she attempted it a second time, only to miss again.

"This is ridiculous!" he argued. "Thorin, let me go! Or I swear by Durin, I'll—" He didn't get a chance to finish his threat, as the rope suddenly found its mark. Pulling it taut around Bombur's ankle, the young woman turned and tossed the other end of it at the dwarves.

"Pull!" she ordered. "All of you! He's too heavy for just me." Thorin finally let him go, and Bofur rushed to grab the rope.

It took eight of them pulling hard to get the rotund dwarf out of the stream and safely onto the river bank. Bombur had always been quite heavy, but strangely, he didn't seem to aid them at all. In fact, he seemed completely oblivious to what was happening. The large dwarf looked surprisingly content as he snored loudly, as though he were sleeping in a soft feather bed in his home in Ered Luin, not lying in an enchanted, foul-smelling forest stream.

The miner rushed to his side as soon as he was out of the water, and shook his shoulder.

"Bombur!" he cried, now very worried. The elder didn't even flinch. Bifur crouched down on the other side, and shook him as well. A loud snore was their only response. The miner had never felt so helpless in his life as he sat there, unable to awaken his brother at all.

"What sort of magic is this?" Dori asked. Thorin's eyes darkened.

"Elf magic," he answered glumly. Bilbo looked at him skeptically.

"I don't think so," he argued. "It doesn't seem elvish. It seems…darker than that."

"Actually, I think Thorin's right," Cirashala interjected. "This is definitely elf magic. I can feel it." Gloin looked at her dubiously.

"You can feel it?" he said, lifting an eyebrow at her. She nodded.

"Think about it," she explained. "If I'm not mistaken, this is, well…isn't this their border?" She looked at Thorin, who slowly nodded.

"It used to be," Dwalin said. "Not sure if it is anymore." She gestured at their surroundings.

"We just made a lot of noise," she continued. "And there isn't an elf in sight. I find that odd that there's no patrols on this border…unless they're relying on the stream's magic to enforce it. If they're the ones who enchanted it, then it makes more sense that they're not worried about patrolling it. So it must've been their magic that enchanted the stream." Bofur looked at her, then his slumbering brother. Her logic made sense to him, not that it really mattered much. Bombur was still in a deep enchantment, no matter who was responsible for it.

"So when will he wake up?" he asked Thorin. The dwarf king shook his head.

"I don't know," he admitted. He glanced around warily. "But we need to keep moving. I don't like it here."

"Um…" Cirashala spoke up again, and Bofur's gaze returned to her. "I…I'm afraid that he won't wake up for a while." Bilbo looked at her curiously.

"How do you know?" he asked. She glanced around, too.

"Well," she explained. He couldn't help but notice her voice was a little tense, but it was unsurprising, considering the circumstances. "The stream enchantment wouldn't be very effective border control, if it only caused ten minute naps. I'm feeling a little tired just being near it…and Bombur's soaking wet. I have a feeling…that he's gonna be asleep for quite a while." The miner's heart sank, even as Thorin sighed in exasperation.

"Wait," Kili spoke up. "If we can't wake him up, and we can't stay here, then that means—"

"We'll have to carry him," Fili finished glumly. Several loud groans emanated throughout the camp. Bofur looked at his cousin in defeat.

"Bombur got himself into a right mess this time," the toymaker muttered. Bofur nodded in agreement.

"Untie that rope from his ankle," Thorin ordered the group. "And start gathering wood for a litter. Be quick about it…we do not know if there were elf patrols downstream. Our voices may have carried further than we wish." Dwalin suddenly nudged him.

"Thorin!" he whispered, looking over his shoulder. Turning, Bofur saw a white stag appear in the distant trees. A rare beam of sunlight shone through the thick canopy, alighting on the beautiful beast. It was the first creature they'd seen in this forest that wasn't mangy and black, and, despite the dismal circumstances, the miner felt his mouth begin to water at the prospect of actual meat again.

The dwarf king immediately reached for his bow, as did Kili. Beorn had offered them all bows when he supplied them, but only the two had accepted the offer. The rest of them barely knew how to shoot, and strongly preferred their swords, knives, and axes over bows. The stag looked at them for a moment, and the two royals took their aim. Suddenly, the stag took off into the trees, and despite their every efforts, not a single arrow made its mark.

"You shouldn't have done that," Bilbo said softly in the background. "It's bad luck." Bombur snored loudly, and the miner's mood fell into despair.

"I don't think our luck could get any worse."

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Sorry for the shorter update, but the electrician's coming to our house today, and there's a lot of prep work that needs to be done before he gets here at noon. Hopefully by the end of today, at least most of our wiring will be done! : D

Please review, favorite, and follow! You all are so patient! Thank you for being loyal readers! : D