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 Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

She fell to her knees, placing a shaking hand on the soft mound of earth. Tears fell down her face unheeded as her numb body shook with silent sobs.

The grave under her hand felt so cold. Rain began to pour from the skies above, pattering upon the earth beneath her hand. The pour became a deluge, and still she knelt, frozen in place by grief. Tiny rivulets of water began to flow off of the mound into the grass surrounding it. The muddy streams ran over her hand and threaded through her fingers, seemingly unaware of the torment within the young girl's heart.

For this grave held her husband and two baby girls. They had died in a tragic car accident five days ago. They had been traveling to her four year old's gymnastics class when they were struck by a drunk driver who crossed the median on the highway. And the worst part was that she was driving, and she had not seen him coming until it was too late. Somehow she had survived with not even a scratch, and had knelt on the asphalt road holding her two young daughters as they drew their last breath, covered in blood. Her husband had been killed immediately as he had tried to shield her daughters while she had unsuccessfully tried to swerve the car out of the way.

She had tried in vain to stop the flow of blood from her daughter's wounds, and her broken heart had turned into a high pitched keen as her four year olds chest stilled and her baby breathed its last, weak cry.

The emergency responders who had arrived on the scene had to pry the dead children out of her arms, for she fought like any mother would to keep her children with her. But they had succeeded, and the wail of anguish caused every responder and bystander in the vicinity's eyes to moisten as they beheld the young mother's raw grief. They gently wrapped the bodies and loaded them into the ambulance, and then picked up the wailing mother and took her to the hospital.

She spent the next five days numb. She would not speak to anyone, not even her extended family. Her in-laws were very much grieved as well, but they knew that goodbyes needed to be said, and bodies laid to rest. They took care of the arrangements, and chose to bury their son with his two daughters in his arms, for each of the girls had been very much daddy's girls, and though their souls were in heaven, they knew he would wish to rest with his daughters.

When they had brought her to the funeral to say her goodbyes, she had stared blankly in the casket. Thankfully the undertaker had done a very good job of making them look as if they were merely sleeping. Tears had streamed down from her eyes as she beheld her young husband of five years and her two daughters laying there as if peacefully sleeping, a position they had often been in when the girls had been too restless to sleep and sought out their daddy.

She kissed each of them goodnight, for she could not bear to think that this was goodbye. Then the casket was closed, the coffin brought to the cemetery, and the casket lowered into the ground.

All those who attended saw as they left was a lone figure, curled up in front of the mound, a dark navy old fashioned dress fluttering in the breeze as she had refused to be parted from her husband and children. No one had the heart to force her to leave.

So still she remained, oblivious to the wind and rain around her. Oblivious to the thunder and streaks of lightning that flashed across the sky. Her heart was drowning in grief, for she had loved her husband with all her heart and, despite them driving her nuts at times, had loved her daughters to the end of the earth and back.

She had paid no notice to the thunder getting steadily louder, when suddenly a flash of lightning struck the ground on the other side of the grave, shaking the earth with a deafening roar.

She felt a scream ripped from her throat as blackness descended upon her.

XXX

Kili had just finished getting dressed when he caught the scent of something very unpleasant. Leaning down, he sniffed his tunic and came away with a disgusted face.

Why did those damn sacks have to smell so awful? He thought to himself. Although it had been entertaining for a while watching Bilbo's expressions as he tried to sneak up on the three oblivious trolls, as soon as they had caught him Fili had run to get Thorin while he had drawn his sword.

Don't even THINK about going after them until I get back with the company! Fili had said. But as soon as the troll had threatened to burn Bilbo's toes in the fire to make him talk, Kili had enough. Company or no company, he would not let Bilbo get burnt for their foolish mistake of losing the ponies and then sending an apparently unarmed and inexperienced burglar after them.

He jumped out of the bushes with a loud cry and sliced the foot of the first troll he reached. He had then told them to drop Bilbo, not expecting Bilbo to actually be hurled at him. They had both gone down in a heap, with Kili losing the grip on his sword in his attempts to catch Bilbo.

Thankfully Fili was a quick runner, and just as soon as Kili had thought they would both get their toes burned off Thorin and the rest of the company burst through the bushes and began attacking the trolls.

Bilbo and Kili untangled themselves and Kili managed to get a hold of his sword. He and Fili paired up like they were used to and had fought together to try and inflict as much damage on the trolls as they could. He saw Bilbo using the troll's poor excuse for a knife to cut the ponies' ropes out of the corner of his eye, but the troll soon took his full attention.

He and Fili had gotten separated when a giant troll had stepped between them. Suddenly, Ori was flung at Kili's feet. He went to help him up, when the entire company stopped fighting. He looked up to see Bilbo's arms and legs held between two of the trolls. Seeing his friend in such a situation worried Kili and he had cried out, "Bilbo!" before attempting to go to his rescue.

Thorin had held him back, saying, "No, Kili!" and although Kili wanted to help his friend, he knew he had to listen to his uncle, who was far more experienced than he. He knew his uncle would find a way to free Bilbo and give those trolls some dwarven justice. So when his uncle had stabbed his sword into the ground, Kili looked to his uncle in disbelief. The rest of the company followed suit, and Kili angrily threw down his sword as well.

Next thing he knew, half the company was tied up to a spit, while the other half, himself and his kin included, had been tied up, stuffed in horrid smelling sacks, and heaped unceremoniously on the ground. At least for a bit he had it better than his brother. He kept getting kicked by Oin, who's moving was driving him crazy, but Fili's face was stuck in the dirt and he had to crane his neck to breathe, let alone see what was happening.

Then Bilbo got up and had suggested skinning them, and then Bombur got dropped on him ridding himself of what air he had left. Then Bilbo had the audacity to declare them infested with parasites of all things! Kili had protested vehemently until a boot from his uncle in his back made him and the others see what Bilbo was cleverly trying to do and he, along with the others, began declaring quite loudly that not only did they have parasites, but described how huge they were and how riddled they were.

Then Gandalf had arrived, the trolls had turned to stone, and they had finally gotten free of those awful sacks. But unfortunately, the awful smell lingered. Adding to his discomfort was the fact that they had just endured a sleepless night, not knowing whether or not they were going to see morning, and lamenting that his tomb would read Kili, son of Dis, of the line of Durin the Deathless, Younger brother of Fili, Nephew of Thorin Oakenshield, Prince in exile of Erebor, third in line to the throne, died valiantly by three stupid halfwit trolls, but very nicely roasted and seasoned with sage.

He gathered up his weapons, pleased that even with all that the trolls had done his bow and sword were undamaged. He had just finished dressing when he heard Thorin talk about trying to find the cave the trolls stayed in by day. Looking to Fili, their eyes locked, and eagerly they began the search.

"Perhaps Thorin won't be so angry when he finds out we lost the trolls if we find the cave first," he suggested to Fili.

"I would rather Thorin NOT find out we lost the ponies," Fili said.

"Do you think Bilbo will tell him?" Kili asked nervously. He was trying desperately to prove himself on this quest, and this matter with the ponies most certainly won't help. Especially not after he and Fili had nearly drowned trying to get a skittish pony out of the river it had so foolishly run into a week ago.

Fili contemplated for a minute, before shaking his head no.

"No, I don't think he will tell him, because then he will have to explain that he failed as a burglar, and since that's the only reason Thorin let him come on this quest I seriously doubt he will want to let it be known that he is a lousy pickpocket."

They continued searching the area, weapons at the ready more out of habit than anything else. Kili fingered the arrow lying loosely in his grip. He knew that the trolls had turned to stone, and he had heard someone saying how sunlight was the reason, but he tended to think that it was more Gandalf's doing. After all, they had only turned to stone when he had split the rock. At any rate, Kili was determined that he would not be ambushed by any more trolls. He had had enough of trolls for this adventure.

They heard Thorin let out a shout that they had found it, and hastened over to where Thorin, Nori, Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur, and Gandalf were already entering the cave. There was the same rank smell coming from the cave that had been on the bags, and flies buzzed about the entrance, feasting on what Kili believed was rotten meat. Of what kind of meat, he dared not venture to guess.

He heard some voices in the cave, and digging, then Thorin and the others emerged with some plunder. The others had some gold visible in their pockets, and Thorin held a long sword with a dragon tooth for a hilt. Gandalf emerged a few minutes later holding another sword. The others milled around, looking at various things from the cave. Bifur was looking at what appeared to be a golden cup and some kind of skull. Kili curiously leaned over him to take a look, only for Bifur to hand him the skull. Kili looked at it confused, before tossing it on the ground.

Suddenly, some birds rose up out of nowhere startled. Kili jumped and looked over his shoulder.

"Something's coming!" Thorin cried out.

"Arm yourselves!" Gandalf ordered as they drew their weapons and rushed as a group toward the disturbance. When whatever was disturbing the birds and causing the rustling finally emerged from the brush, Kili gaped and had to blink twice at what he saw.

It was a sleigh drawn by…rabbits?

A rather strange man with a long brown beard and what seemed like bird dropping on the side of his head began to talk to Gandalf, muttering something about thoughts and stick insects, when Gandalf pulled one out of his mouth.

Kili cast a glance at Fili, who looked very confused and unimpressed at the figure before them. Their eyes met, and it was all they could do not to burst out laughing at the strange man Gandalf had identified as Radagast the Brown.

The two wizards retreated to a secluded area near the river to talk. The company, unwilling to move ahead without the grey wizard, took the time to sit and rest for a few minutes and keep a lookout for any more strange wizards or uninviting creatures.

Kili glanced at Fili and motioned him over. When they were out of earshot of Balin, Kili whispered to Fili, "Let's go back to the cave and look inside while they are talking." Fili fixed his brother with a stern look.

"You know we shouldn't wander off without telling anyone," he said, looking around to see if anyone had heard.

"But we didn't get the chance to take a look inside," Kili argued, "All I got to see was what the others brought out and Bifur handing me a skull."

"I thought you didn't want to go inside because it smelled like the sacks," Fili pointed out, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Well, it's less boring than just sitting here doing nothing while Gandalf talks with the crazy wizard," Kili retorted.

He has a good point, Fili thought, and sighed. His brother was never that good at sitting still for long periods of time. And neither of them knew how long it was going to take for the wizards to finish their discussion.

"Fine, I will go with you, but only if we do not stay for long," he reluctantly agreed. They looked up, and seeing the wizards still in deep discussion, slipped off, claiming to have dropped one of Fili's knives near the caves. It wasn't a lie-one of Fili's knives had fallen. But he had so many that it wasn't crucial to find it. Nevertheless, they were not stopped, but they were cautioned to be careful and come back at the slightest hint of trouble.

They approached the cave, and while Fili hunted for his missing knife, Kili slipped inside. He almost regretted it, the nasty smell of the bags tenfold in the enclosed space, but kept going. He picked up some of the gold pieces that were still left on the ground, hoping that it would be enough to last him until they reached Erebor.

He was heading out of the cave when suddenly a small shuffling sounded from the very back of the cave. He immediately froze, listening hard even as his hand traveled toward the hilt of his sword. He wasn't certain that it hadn't been the wind, but as he heard it again, he was sure of it.

He began to slowly turn around, silently unsheathing his sword. He wanted to call for his brother, but he was concerned that it would startle whatever it was that was trying to hide. He saw a bit of white flash behind what looked to be the remains of old iron bars at the back of the cave. As silently as a dwarf could, he slowly made his way to the back of the cave, hoping to catch whatever it was by surprise.

As he got closer to the back, the shuffling stopped. Heart pounding in his throat, he swallowed the anxious feeling and kept going. He was at least comforted by the fact that the space in the back did not seem to be big enough for a troll, and if there had been one in the cave they would have surely found out about it much sooner than this. He held his sword at the ready as he stepped between the bars in the space that he assumed must have been the doorway at one point.

Suddenly he saw movement to his left and swung his sword instinctively. His sword made contact with a slight branch, and he twisted out of the block easily. His opponent fell on the ground and quickly shuffled backwards into the corner formed by the bars and the wall, curling into a small quivering ball and holding its arms up to shield it from further blows. He raised his sword up, only to have it drop to the side as sunlight filtered in the cave and he got a good look at his opponent. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open when he realized what it was he had just tried to kill.

The young girl was shaking violently as she held her bare arms up to hide her face. Her clothing was white at one time, though now heavily stained with mud and leaves and some traces of blood, and the top of what he supposed was a dress was nothing more than two very narrow straps holding up what he assumed was an undershirt. Her white skirt fell to the ground, ending in torn and jagged edges and hiding her feet. He looked back up at her and noticed that one of her arms had a long cut on the forearm that had blood stained navy blue fabric tied around it. Her reddish brown long hair was wet and tangled with mud and twigs with a few stray curls here and there, and her knees were drawn up as close to her chest as they could be, with her left side facing toward him.

He saw a pair of frightened light blue eyes peer between her pale arms only to shut tightly and hide again. He slowly knelt to the ground, placing his sword gently on the floor of the cave next to him.

"It's alright," he said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you."

She glanced at him again, and curled up even tighter, flinching as he picked up his sword and slowly sheathed it behind his back. He brought his hands up and opened his palms outward, trying to alleviate her fears and show her he was no longer armed.

"I am unarmed, see?" he said. She slowly lifted her head up until he could see her face, though her hair still covered quite a bit of it and she kept her arms up protectively. She ducked her head down, but he could see her eyes watching his every movement. He noticed her eyes were slightly swollen and her eyelashes damp as though she had been crying, and he realized that he had likely frightened her very badly.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to frighten you," he said, still speaking gently. He gestured toward her arm.

"You're hurt." She moved to cover the wound, still trembling, and looked away.

Kili had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had expected to find a squirrel or maybe a fox at best, not an injured and clearly lost young girl. He wondered if the trolls had taken her prisoner too, but abandoned that thought when he realized that she could not have possibly escaped a sack while tied up in it, especially with an injured arm.

She must have been hiding in here while the trolls were busy with us, he thought. Given the strong smell and how loud the trolls were, he wouldn't be surprised if she had somehow managed to hide in here even with the trolls, but then dismissed the idea. She wouldn't have gotten so muddy or wet if she had been in here. How she had escaped the detection of Thorin or Dwalin or even Gandalf, he was not quite sure.

She gasped and jumped when Fili hollered into the cave and curled back into herself.

"I found my knife," he said, strolling into the cave, knife in hand. "What are you doing back there? I thought you were only going to take a quick—"

He stopped short when he noticed Kili kneeling before the trembling girl. His eyes went wide and he gaped like his brother had moments before. Kili saw the girl glance at the knife in Fili's hand before flinching and scooting even closer to the wall than she already was. He reached up and lowered Fili's hand as his brother turned toward him in confusion. His eyes silently demanded an explanation.

Kili sighed, and gestured toward the girl.

"I heard a noise and came back here. I had my sword drawn and saw something move, and when I turned around to defend myself I saw her. She dropped the branch she had swung at me and curled up into the wall like she is now," he explained. Fili glanced at the girl who regarded him with wary eyes, still keeping her arms up defensively. He sheathed his knife and knelt beside his brother.

"We are not going to hurt you," he said softly. Kili nodded.

"What is your name?" Fili asked. She looked between the both of them, seemingly confused. Fili repeated his question, only to again receive a confused look from the girl.

"Maybe she doesn't understand us," Kili said, looking at his brother. Fili looked at him and shrugged. They turned back toward the girl, and Kili offered his hand to her. She eyed the hand suspiciously and looked back at Kili.

"It's alright," he repeated, "we will not hurt you." He followed her gaze as she glanced at Fili, wariness clear in her eyes.

"He won't hurt you either, I swear. He is my brother," Kili said, extending the hand out a little more. She looked between the two of them, most of her face still hidden behind the hair that reached to just a few inches above her waist. Slowly she reached for the hand, and when she finally took it he slowly stood up, pulling her up with him. She wobbled on her feet a little and he reached his other hand to her elbow to steady her. Fili had stood up as well, ready to offer aid if needed. She put weight gingerly on her feet, and looked up at them, still eyeing them warily.

Suddenly the girl darted to the side as though she was going to try and run, and as Kili had reached out to try and stop her, she stumbled and hit the ground with a loud cry. She curled up and grabbed at her now visible feet, and Kili noticed that they had several cuts and bruises on them. Her face twisted in pain as she went to cover them back up with her skirt. But her feet weren't the only thing Kili had noticed

When she had stood up, she looked me directly in the eye, he thought, eyes widening. Is she a dwarf?

A quick glance toward his brother told him that Fili had come to the same conclusion. They both knelt in front of her again, making sure that they were slightly closer to being between her and the exit this time. Neither of them wished to think about what could happen to an injured girl in the middle of the lone lands, and they were determined that she would not be left to wander alone.

"Are you a dwarf, lass?" Fili asked. She glanced back and forth between them, her brain more than a little muddled. Fili repeated the question in Khuzdul, the language of the dwarves, in case she didn't understand Westron.

She continued to glance between them, confusion still on her face. Kili looked at Fili, beginning to get discouraged, and also realizing that they should be getting back to the company soon. Suddenly, the girl began to mutter, and two heads simultaneously turned toward her, surprise etching their features.

"Khazd?" she replied. She looked between the two of them, who still looked startled back at her. She repeated the word, question in her eyes, then spoke again.

"Khazad?" she asked, looking to them both as though searching for an answer. Fili was the first one to recover from his surprise at hearing her speak.

"Aye, Khazd?" he said, looking at her carefully. Kili looked intently at her as she shook her head, closing eyes and ducking her head behind her arms once more. The brothers shared a confused look. How could she know what the term dwarf and dwarves were in Khuzdul, the language of the dwarves, and yet not be one herself? Or seem to not understand Westron? The dwarves were very secretive of their language, and few in the entire history of Middle-earth have succeeded in learning the ancient tongue. Kili looked at Fili who seemed just as puzzled as he was. They looked back at the girl, then at each other again. They knew they could not leave her behind, and it was clear that her feet were too injured to walk. Kili decided to try again.

"We will not hurt you. We wish to help you. Please don't run," he said in Khuzdul, extending his hands once more. Fili repeated it in Westron, hoping that she would at least understand one of the two languages. She glanced between the two, before seeming to make up her mind. She reached for his hands, and he helped her up. She winced again as she put weight on her injured feet, and he looked at her closely. He decided to try Westron again.

"You are hurt. May I carry you?" he asked gently, not wanting to frighten her any more but knowing that she wouldn't make it far with her injuries. He honestly was not sure if she would accept his offer, as skittish as she appeared to be. She looked at him and he could see some understanding in her eyes instead of confusion.

So she does understand Westron, he thought. She must have been too frightened or suspicious of us to answer before. He searched what little he could see of her face, hoping that she would consent to being carried, because even if his uncle were willing to take her with them to the next town, he would most definitely not appreciate it if she were to walk too slowly and delay them further.

She searched both their faces once more before nodding slightly. Kili let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and reached behind her shoulders and knees and hoisted her up into his arms. Suddenly, his uncle's voice boomed through the cave, causing the two dwarves to jump and the startled girl to hide her face in Kili's shoulder.

"Fili! Kili! What in Durin's name are you doing?" Thorin growled as he stood in the cave entrance.

"You know better than to wander off away from the company, especially out here in the wilds!"

Fili glanced at Kili, who in turn looked at the girl in his arms. They took a deep breath, and made their way out of the cave, the trembling girl attempting to curl herself in as much as possible.

Their uncle was most certainly not going to be happy about this.