Thorin nodded to Dwalin and Balin. Once the Ri brothers had all done one of their disappearing acts, Thorin worried. Dwalin and Balin would watch over camp whilst he watched over the brothers, his kin.

He kept in the shadows. As he saw Nori break he winced. The usually cocky and emotionless dwarrow took a lot before he broke, and the wheezing, coughing sobs he was expelling shattered a section of Thorin's heart. He stoically watched the dark so that his kin could fix their brother. He watched over his people as he had many times before. He promised himself he would give them a place of peace and rest. He would reclaim Erebor.

Bifur fussed over Althea as she nibbled at the stew Bombur had made. The lass found herself too exhausted- and oddly comforted by his grouchy fussiness- that she didn't voice any complaints as he growled at her in unfamiliar words.

Althea frowned lightly as Bifur grumbled at her. "Gloin?" She called out to the nearest dwarrow.

"Aye, lass?" The fatherly ginger grumbled kindly.

"What's Bifur saying? He keeps repeating the same words." Althea curiously enquired.

Gloin looked at Bifur as the elder dwarrow spoke. "He's, uh, worryin' ovah yer, erm, attire." He drew out the word attire as if he wasn't completely sure that was what her clothing was.

Althea glanced down at her outfit again, "It's just clothes."

"Aye, aye. And if we weren't here it'd be fine." Gloin nodded as he ate. Bifur sagely nodded in agreement, cautious that the lass might have a fit.

Althea huffed. "What's that got to do with it?" She glared at the two dwarrow.

"It is due," Althea jumped as Dori suddenly appeared sat on her left side, "to the other races." The fussy dwarrow picked up his knitting. "They don't see kindly of lasses displaying their bodies, so, dams dress as lads outside of our mountains. Inside of the mountains a lass could where as much and as little as they wish with no judgement."

Althea was surprised for a moment before she considered this idea. Slowly she nodded her understanding. A yawn wracked through her body.

Dori eyed the young dam's fatigued physique. "You go to bed now, dear." He commanded in a no nonsense tone.

Althea bristled at the idea of being commanded to bed like a child. "I only just woke up." She protested to the prim and proper dwarf.

"And you're still tired." Dori commented. Somehow he began to usher her to laying down on the bedroll without her realising. It was skill developed by raising Nori and Ori. "You're body is going through many changes-"

"You make it sound like puberty." Althea grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"You need rest." Dori commanded, pulling a blanket over the young lass. Althea huffed for several minutes but slowly her eyes slid closed.

Dori kept one eye on Althea as she fell asleep again before pulling out his knitting. Whilst one of Dori's eyes was trained on Althea his other was drawn on Nori and Bilbo, who were cheerfully sharing stories of Belladonna. Nori and Bilbo's laughter had drawn quite a crowd and soon all the dwarrow were laughing at the stories of the fierce woman. Even Thorin had a spark in his grouchy eyes.

A couple of days later brought the company to Bree. Althea's nose automatically wrinkled at the dingy town. Even with the sun shining down upon them gladly, it looked dismal at best. Everything looked like it could do with a layer of paint. The cobblestones were an uneven track filled with many persistent weeds. The smells were almost indescribable. The stalls smelt of different trades, of leather and meat and freshly baked bread, but there was a distinct undercurrent scent of waste and booze and death. Anthea hated it.

"Come along, dear." Dori commanded, as he and Bombur ushered her away from the group.

"Why are we splitting up?" Althea questioned, her face wrinkling in confusion.

"They're getting rooms while we get you some clothes." Dori said, pulling Bofur's cloak around her more securely. Both he and Bombur on high alert around the children of men.

"Oh." Was all Thea replied before she was ushered along the street.

"Dori?" She questioned, feeling more inquisitive than normal. When the elder dwarf hummed a reply she continued, "Why was it you and Bombur chose to come with me?"

"Bombur has three daughters so can help get you needed supplies and I am a tailor- plus I raised Nori and Ori." Dori answered. Bombur chuckled at how Dori tutted when he said Nori's name.

The rest of the shop through the market went quickly. Althea found that Bombur was as humourous as Bofur once you got him speaking.

She did not enjoy the tailor. At all. She was poked and prodded far too many times. But, still, she got new clothes out of it, and Dori and Bombur seemed to approve.

They only stayed in Bree for the one night, but they stayed in the prancing pony and that put Thea into a state of awe as she thought of the heros who had and would walk through those halls. She was roomed with Balin and Dwalin, which made her happy enough (they didn't snore like Gloin and Bombur- maybe dwarrow only start to snore after the had children?). By morning their journey began again.

The next couple of months had Althea panicking more and more. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She was sure she was going insane. She didn't know what was wrong with her, she felt like crying.

Althea was never one to cry. Not any more. But things were so confusing. The beginning of the week had been fine, she'd been her normal self. Sure there had been some odd things, like the fact she was quicker to laugh. But that quicker to laugh had soon turned into easier to anger and scare and quicker to cry. Like when the rain poured for days and she felt herself pouting and wanting comfort, where usually she wouldn't even flinch. Then she'd been far too easily entertained by a wooden figurine Bofur had made. The most recent was what bothered her the most.

Fili and Kili had been teasing Bilbo about orcs and Balin had continued with quite the graphic explanation of the Battle of Azanulbizar, leaving Althea scared, with tear filled eyes. It had left Althea with in internal battle, considering all and any answers. She didn't like the one she found. The dwarrow thought she a child, and it made sense. The way she'd been acting from the easy emotions, to enjoying Dori's fussiness and attention. It made sense and that made her want to cry even more.

By this point Althea had completely given up on sleep. She was cold, she was scared and she felt like crying. And, against all of her usually instincts, she desired to be comforted. Without letting herself think about it anymore, Althea sat up.

Oin and Gloin were on watch, and- with great hesitation- she quietly got up and walked to them. Oin shuffled over silently and patted the space between the two brothers for a her shivering form to sit.

"Why ye up, lass?" Gloin asked after she had sat down, his voice stern but gentle- very much a 'Dad Voice'.

Thea sighed as she burrowed further into the warmth of the brothers. "Why'd you all think I'm a little kid?" She asked instead, her eyes trained straight forward on the horizon.

Gloin raised an eyebrow and shared a look with Oin over Thea's head. "Well," Gloin's gruff voice oddly soft, "Yer sixteen, lass. Fer dwarrow, it'd be around eight years old for men. Sixteen is near of age fer men, if yer were near of age fer a dam ye'd have at least some hair on ye chin, ye'd definitely be taller." Gloin stopped there as he carefully watched Althea watch the horizon.

"I don't want you to be right." Thea mumbled. "I've worked too hard, been through too much-" She cut herself off with a sigh. "I don't know how to be a kid."

Oin, who had been silently watching, finally gave his input. "Maybe it's 'cause yer've worked so 'ard." He suggested. "From the sounds of things yer childhood weren't the best. Maybe gettin' ter relive it is more a blessin' than a curse."

Thea but her lip, a deep frown on her face. "I dont know how to be a kid. Never have." She muttered.

"Yer stop thinkin' for a minute." Gloin grouched. "Yer run of instincts, let herself be taught, experiment, test boundaries, learn."

"We'll respect that yer were once nearly an adult, lass, and consider it in how we treat yer, but yer gotta remember yer a kid. Relax and be one." Oin considered her as he said this. "Laugh when yer wanna laugh, run and scrape yer knee, make us worry for no reason other than yer reckless curiosity, and come to us when yer need help."

Gloin nodded, "Aye. Yer not a adult now. We'll give yer all the help yer need." The group then lapsed into silence as Thea thought through what they said.

It was close to the end of Oin and Gloin's watch when Althea finally spoke. "'M scared." She mumbled, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees. Almost immediately Gloin and Oin both hugged her.

"What's scaring yer?" Gloin questioned soft and calmly.

"The dark." Althea mumbled. "Orcs." She muttered even quieter.

Gloin tutted before bundling up Althe and sitting her on his lap, his arms wrapped around her in protection. "The lads should know better than to play a joke like that." He sighed. "I ain't gonna lie to yer, they're out there. But they ain't close right now and, even if they were, we're careful. Yer surrounded by warriors, gem, you dont need to worry." Gloin squeezed her tighter when he realised tears had finally spilt over her cheeks. "I got yer, pebble." He repeated soothingly. "It's okay ter be scared."

Gloin continued to sooth Althea, even as Oin woke Nori and Ori for their own watch. Glenn nodded his brother to bed.

Ori fretted as he watched his brother tense when he saw Althea's tears. Ori was just glad it was Nori and not Dori with him, for Nori left Althea in Gloin's secure embrace, choosing to watch over them defensively; whereas, Dori would have fretted non-stop. With a heavy sigh, Ori tore his eyes away from the crying dwarfling, and with a heavy heart began his watch.

It wasn't until well into Nori and Ori's watch did Althea calm enough that she fell asleep. Gloin, put her to bed before retiring to sleep himself. Nori had a dark gaze as he looked over the camp. Let's just say that come morning, there were almost two very sorry Durin's heirs (and, for once, Thorin could actually see true grief and guilt within them).