*Thorin Oakenshield's Perspective*

I almost didn't get to her in time.

There was too much blood. She was practically covered in it despite her unruly trip downstream, which she only managed to survive by clinging to a nearby piece of driftwood. When I finally reached her, casting off my cloak and boots and swimming as quickly as I could manage, she was falling beneath the water's surface, delicate little hands slipping from the wood. I had to dive to find her, and it felt like ages before I was picking her limp form into my arms and paddling back to the surface.

When I made it to shore yet again, I was not able to even rise completely before Oin stole the child from my arms, dragging Balin and Dwalin with him as assistants.

"Uncle, is she going to be alright?" Fili piped up, following me closely with his brother when I moved towards a particularly sunny spot.

"She's a strong girl, Fili," I began, carefully pulling off my shirt and laying it against a rock to dry along with my stockings. "I have no doubt she'll be herself within the matter of hours-"

"She knew it was going to happen."

I froze at Kili's words, turning to face him slowly. "What?"

The lad, for all he was worth, looked ready to cry, eyes shimmering as he stammered, "Before- Before we even dropped into the water, Aurora made me swear not to get out of barrel. When we got stuck against the gate, I tried to get out, but she gave me a good hit and distracted me long enough for her to get out. I tried to stop her, honest, but I couldn't get to her in time-"

"Kili, it's alright. I don't blame you."

He looked surprised, eyes unbelievably wide. "But I failed. You told me to protect her-"

"You did what you could, Kili. I can not ask for any more than that. After all, I should have expected her to pull something like this considering her supposed knowledge of this quest," I was going to say more when Dwalin approached, but that did not bother me. What sent my heart into my stomach was the fact that the warrior refused to meet my gaze, his lips set into a firm line.

"Thorin, you need to get over there."

His voice was quiet, far too quiet, and it was not long before I was pushing past the Company to where Oin was working, my nephews close behind me.

"She's not moving," Fili whispered. "Uncle, why isn't she moving?"

I dropped to my knees beside Aurora, my hands shaking as I moved to hold her face. She was limp in my hands, eyes open but unseeing even as I stroked my thumb across her cheeks.

"The blood came from an arrow strikin' 'er shoulder as well as a blow to the back of 'er head," Oin informed quietly. "The arrow was no harsh matter, not deep or jagged, and it was just a surprisingly simple cut that needed to be bandaged. The head though, 'tis a superficial wound. Not too much damage, but the lass is gonna feel it for a while-"

"I know what a head wound implies, Oin," I cut off hastily, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. "Why will she not move?"

"Thorin, do you recall when Kili and Fili fell in that lake when they were just lads? The symptoms I told ya to look for, just in case somethin' went wrong?"

"Hypothermia and shock, then," I muttered, and Oin nodded grimly before finishing with, "With her age and size, it'll be some time before she feels herself again."

I did not say anything more, turning my gaze to the child I had come to recognize as my own. Carefully, moving my hand to cup her frail head, I lifted her small form up into my arms and shifted her delicately so she was cradled close in my lap.

"Aurora, I know you're frightened," I whispered, stroking my hand through her wet hair absentmindedly. She was cold to the touch, her lips the faintest shade of blue. I gave her my best smile, letting her receive all of my attention. "But it's alright, isn't it, Darling? You and I will soon be in Erebor, and you will finally be my princess. We'll be a family, won't we? You'll be able to finally meet your aunt Dis, and Kili and Fili will at long last be your cousins. Won't that be fun, Lass? You'll finally have the family you deserve."

She didn't move much, just a slight shift of her head, but it made me smile, especially when the first word she uttered, although weak, was "Papa?"

"I'm right here, Love," I answered without hesitation, gently trailing my hand down her cheek. I held her more securely against my chest, but not tight enough to hurt, and kept muttering whatever soothing nonsense popped into my head.

"You're alright, Darling," I hummed absentmindedly, brushing my hand through her hair as gently as possible. Her breathing was shaky, little choking noises rising from her throat. "I know you're frightened, but nothing can hurt you any longer. It is just you and I, Aurora. No one else."

"Arrow," she mumbled, almost incoherent as she dizzily nuzzled into my chest. "Hurts…"

"It was just a small cut, Love. Oin confirmed it. It'll just need time to heal-"

It looked like she wanted to say something more, but was instead cut off by an unmistakable, animalistic screech coming from not far off. I leapt to my feet immediately, adjusting my grip on Aurora more securely as Dwalin bellowed, "Orcs! We move now!"

He didn't need to say another word.

That fellow with the boat- Barge or something of the sort- would not have helped us, I believe, if it weren't for Aurora. He took an immediate interest in her (a supposedly fatherly interest according to Balin), but, nonetheless, it was an interest that I desired to rebuke. However, Balin warned me that if I said anything too argumentative, it would be not only the quest for Erebor, but Aurora's health I would be risking.

Still, that man wanted to hold her, an action which I immediately denied on the grounds that she was ill and did not respond kindly to being held by strangers. A wrong move on his part could crush her. He was easily as tall as some of the damned Mirkwood elves, and I did not care if he had his own children. Aurora was not his. He had no right to try and care for my child.

"Is she truly yours, Uncle?"

I looked up at Kili's voice, finding him and his brother now seated beside me. I turned towards the pair with a nod, carefully shifting Aurora as I went. She whimpered in protest at the movement, leaning into my chest more heavily from her place seated in my lap. I shushed her gently, stroking the sweaty bangs from her eyes. "It's alright, Darling. It is only Fili and Kili. See?"

She blinked sleepily, small hand tightening its grip on my shirt as she slowly lifted her head from my chest. "Fee? Kee?"

The pair both beamed at the response, nodding eagerly.

"They were just asking if you were truly my daughter," I explained quietly, not missing the soft smile that spread across her lips at my words. I caressed her cheek to get her to look at me and gently knocked my forehead against hers once I gained her attention. "Do you wish to tell them or shall I?"

She simply blushed under my gaze, an endearing rosy color filling her cheeks, and I smiled, pressing a playful kiss to her nose before turning to my nephews yet again. "Aye, Lads. She's mine. As soon as Erebor is reclaimed, the proper arrangements shall be made, and Aurora will officially be my child."

"Y'hear that Fee?"

Kili's grin did nothing but make me uneasy. I knew that look- he had used it often enough. It meant trouble, and when his brother returned the smile, I knew I was done for.

"I certainly did, Kee, and you know what this means," Fili drawled, grin stretching from ear to ear. He reached in, and I suppressed the urge to just take Aurora and run when he palmed her cheek, tweaking her nose playfully to make her smile.

"We've got to teach her our ways!"

"Mahal, I've killed her," I groaned, but the lads didn't even notice my disdain.

"It would be a crime not to, Kili," Fili answered his brother sweetly, and I debated saying something but thought better of it, catching Aurora's weak whimper as she shifted restlessly.

"It's alright, Darling. Just relax," I murmured, stroking her hair in a rather vain hope she'd still. She refused, a small hand gripping at my tunic in an surprisingly vice hold. She wasn't speaking, throat tight, and all she did was continuously tap at her shoulder, whining her protest and clawing at the wrappings covering the wound.

"In a little bit, Love. It's not yet time to change the bandages." I tucked her arm more securely against her chest, patting her hand lightly when she whined a bit louder. I was going to soothe her worries more properly, perhaps tell her a story, but my attempts were swiftly cut off by that bargeman ordering us into the barrels. I did not take kindly to being shoved into a filthy wooden container with little explanation, but I did it for Aurora's sake, noting how upset she appeared when I moved to protest. If it weren't for the look she cast me, an oddly adorable mix of exasperation and tiredness, I most likely would have continued in my protest. So, only for her, I climbed into my own barrel before lifting her into it with me, setting her against my chest and pulling my cloak more tightly around us both. I gave her a fond smile, brushing my knuckles across her cheek before turning my gaze to the sky, to find the vague outline of mountains I had, 'til then, only dreamed of seeing again.

"We are close, Aurora. It is only a matter of time until we reach the mountain, and, if all goes to plan, we'll be announcing your adoption to an entire kingdom of dwarves in mere months."

I looked back towards her, lowering my voice to a murmur as her eyelids fluttered shut.

"We will at long last be home."

Hi, guys! Super sorry about the sporadic updates, but I promise I'm trying to write as often as possible. And, because of the random and far-between updates, I made this chapter a little longer than usual (Or at least I think it's a little longer. Either way, there's enough fluff and drama to go around). As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in later chapters, just drop a review and let me know. :) Hope to see you soon!