I don't own The Hobbit, the book or the movie. This fic will be based on the movie, with some tidbits from the book. I do own Astrid and Nerys and their backgrounds, and Idhril, who makes an appearance for all of like, five minutes later on. Treasures is rated for violence mostly, and drinking and smoking. You know how dwarves are. This fic will be written in three parts, one for each of the movies. Please enjoy!

Treasures Lost and Found
—In the Foothills

By the middle of the next day, after packing their camp and picking up the trek east once more, the company found themselves surrounded by the large hills foreshadowing the impending climb through the Misty Mountains. The peaks themselves looked dangerous and frightening at their current distance, at least to Astrid, who spent as much time looking up as she did watching where she was going; she'd bumped into several of the dwarves and murmured apologies while trying to keep suspicions about her behaviour to a minimum. The only one who seemed to share any of her dread was Bilbo, who admitted to her he found the mountains daunting, as much as he was actually looking forward to the climb. She'd just nodded and smiled.

Kili had been right the previous day to assume Astrid's fear of heights would make the climb uncomfortable. She hadn't been the same with heights since climbing the tree in the Blue Mountains to escape the wrath of Fili and Kili—where once she had loved to climbs trees and get up where she could see everything, now her knees were beginning to tremble at the thought of being up in the rocky paths, so far away from the ground.

"Astrid, are you all right?"

She smiled at Kili as he stepped up beside her and nodded towards the mountains. "I am not looking forward to being up there."

Instead of saying anything, Kili grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before letting it go again. He and Astrid shared another smile. "We will not be in the pass long. One day at most."

"One day is one day too many for me."

The smile Kili gave her then was as reassuring as he could make it, but it told Astrid he didn't know what else to say. So she returned the smile and they kept walking.

The ground became increasingly rocky as they drew closer to the Misty Mountains, slowing the pace of the company and forcing Thorin to decide they would spend one more night on the ground before ascending. Balin and Dwalin, who Astrid was realizing seemed to act as Thorin's chief advisors, agreed it was better to wait for morning, so they had a whole day to try and get through the pass. The rocks would be even more dangerous in the dark.

So, once they found a suitable spot atop one of the hills—mostly flat and with a good view of the surrounding terrain—the dwarves, hobbit, and human set about establishing a temporary camp, everyone attending to their usual jobs. The dwarves had the motions down to a smooth routine, and Astrid did her best to be useful while keeping out of the way. She assisted with gathering firewood and kindling, since Gloin's stock had run thin, and then helped organize the camp so nothing was out of arm's length or the ring of light the fire would make. As the afternoon wore on, Dwalin declared he was going to see about finding some fresh meat to put in the stew, voicing the widely-shared opinion that he was sick of eating the various cured meats the company had brought with them.

"Kili, Fili, come on," Dwalin said as he passed patch of grass where the brothers had settled with Astrid. "You too Astrid," he added.

The trio exchanged a brief look before getting to their feet and gathering their weapons about them. Dwalin sent Fili and Kili off in one direction to hunt and took Astrid in another, cementing the suspicion in her mind that the dwarf was finding something for her to do. He'd been good at sensing when she needed to be kept busy when she was little as well.

"How good are you with that bow?" he asked as they headed away from the glow of firelight.

Astrid had immediately put some extra focus on her hearing; there would be goblins in the area and she wasn't keen on getting attacked again; her side pinched in memory. She gave herself a little shake and focused on the question. "Decent, for how short of time I've been at it, I suppose. I used snares to hunt before."

Dwalin nodded. "Keep an arrow at the ready."

Astrid nodded and they slipped into silence so as not to scare off any potential prey. They were far enough from the fire now for wildlife to start venturing out to nibble at the grass and bushes dominating this approach to the mountains. Astrid felt better, more stable the farther they were from the mountains, even if the distance wasn't that great—not looking at the looming piles of rock probably helped as well.

When the big dwarf stopped his forward progress and crouched into the long grass, Astrid followed suit, bringing her bow around and notching the arrow she'd held in the same hand in place. She wasn't sure she was ready to try and fire on a moving, living target, but she was going to do it anyway. Dwalin pointed to a large rabbit, sitting almost directly ahead of them and investigating a small, blooming plant. Astrid inhaled and exhaled slowly and drew the bow, positioning it the way Kili had showed her and the way she'd practiced a hundred times after the initial lesson. When she thought she had it, she let the arrow fly, the snap of the bow string less than she thought it would be in the open air.

She missed, the arrow striking the rocky ground just above the rabbit.

Astrid huffed as the beast skittered away, claws clicking on the stone, but she crept forward to retrieve the arrow and returned to Dwalin's muted grin. They set off again, Astrid's eyes and ears tuned for prey or predator, the same as Dwalin.

A short while later, when the sun had begun to set and all in the company were getting quite hungry, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, and Astrid returned, each duo with something to show for their work. Fili and Kili had managed to net a small deer which was instantly set upon to prepare for travelling, while the few rabbits Dwalin and Astrid had brought back—only one of which was felled by Astrid's arrow, with Dwalin borrowing the weapon to bring down the other two—were skinned and added to the stew Bombur had underway.

When everyone had had their fill, or in some cases, more than their fill, the watches were assigned, dishes cleaned and stored away. Astrid half-expected the dwarves to stay up to sing and talk and tell stories as they had in Rivendell and most of the nights following their departure, and the camp was lonely without the joyous racket, but with their goal to start into the mountains at first light, she understood the need for rest.

It was too bad she wasn't going to get much.

She managed around an hour before the calls and cries of goblins and who knew what else started filling the air. Astrid awoke with a start and slowly sat up, looking around and fighting the panic. The sky was that dark blue it hit right before blackness took over, and what seemed like millions of stars twinkled down. Aside from Bifur and Bofur, who were keeping watch, the dwarves were all still asleep, unperturbed by the noise.

Another round of cries went up. A fear Astrid had never experienced in the face of said cries took hold inside and her side pinched again, the pain moving through her almost as if it was a fresh wound and not weeks healed. She could vividly recall the smell of the beast clinging to her saddle and the panic her and her pony had shared—briefly, she let herself miss Midnight, but knew the pony who'd been her companion for years was safer in Rivendell and Lord Elrond would see her returned to Astrid's parents eventually—and she never wanted to be that close to a goblin again. So, Astrid sat up on around the fire, legs crossed and her thoughts lost to the flames as she tried not to focus on the high-pitched screams occasionally punctuating the silence of the night.

"Having second thoughts about joining our illustrious quest?" Bofur asked around his pipe.

His voice startled her, Astrid having forgotten there would be someone up, keeping watch. Astrid watched the smoke from his pipe lift up and curl around his braids and the folded flaps on his hat as she calmed. "Not at all," she answered, putting a small smile on her lips and deciding not to admit how scared the goblin screams made her. "I'm not fond of heights and the climb through the pass… is a little bit unsettling."

Bofur nodded as if he understood exactly what she was feeling, and maybe he did. "Don't worry lassie, we won't let you fall."

Astrid gave Bofur her best indignant look, followed quickly by a smile. "I feel much safer now Bofur, thank you."

He gave her a wide grin as he took in the sarcasm and touched the brim of his hat, before he turned to his cousin Bifur and the pair began whittling away at hunks of shapeless wood. Astrid had seen them working in Rivendell, but hadn't really wondered too much about what they were making or why they were making it.

A short while later, Bofur and Bifur were replaced by Kili and Fili and Astrid felt a little better; it wasn't that she didn't trust Bifur and Bofur, but she knew Fili and Kili better, trusted them more. She smiled as the brothers sat, bleary-eyed in front of the fire, stretching and waking themselves up for their watch. Fili placed a log on the fire and the flames leapt up eagerly. Astrid opened her mouth to say something to the brothers, but at that moment, a loud and high-pitched cry went through the air, closer than before, and Astrid gave an involuntary yelp and physically jumped.

"They're circling," Fili said, looking around the campsite.

"Will they attack?" Astrid asked. She felt a little ashamed of his display of fear—neither of the dwarves had so much as flinched.

"Likely not with so many of us in one place," Kili answered, giving her a reassuring smile. She returned the gesture and he moved a little closer, so he could squeeze her shoulder. "They are just looking for weaknesses they will not find."

Astrid nodded and tried to look convinced, tried not to telegraph how much she wanted to lean into Kili.

"Your attack was near the Misty Mountains." It wasn't a question, so Astrid didn't answer. She just looked at Fili for a moment and he returned the stoic expression. "We will not let the goblins get to you again," he added, sharing in the smile.

Astrid laughed quietly. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"But you are scared."

"Of course I am scared!" Astrid gestured to the air around them as more goblins gave their cries and yells and a cacophony of noise rose up around what sounded like a fight. In response, Astrid pulled her coat around her tighter. "I don't want to be scared, but I am—of the goblins, the height of the mountains—"

"Heights?"

Astrid gave a start, her eyes widening a bit and beside her, Kili made a noise that sounded suspiciously like "uh oh." Preparing herself for the inevitable anger from the blond dwarf, Astrid nodded. "I am afraid of heights, yes. Many are. I am also afraid of falling to my death amongst the rocks." Astrid thought her voice sounded a little thin, but she was still determined to cover up what she'd said. But it didn't matter. Fili was looking at her strangely, like he'd realized something about her, but there was nothing angry or hostile in the look. Astrid sighed in relief and didn't bother to cover that up. She'd been afraid he would still be mad—she'd been a little terror.

"It was you all those years ago."

Again, it wasn't a question, but this time, Astrid nodded. He wouldn't believe her if she lied anyway. "Yes."

"You stole my knives, cut my hair, made me break my toe—"

"I am sorry for all of that," Astrid said earnestly.

Fili pushed himself to his feet and walked in a sort of crouch over to the ground beside Astrid. He sat down and was still for a second before he punched Astrid lightly in the shoulder. She rocked with the impact and almost laughed in relief but held it back. Or tried to. The laugh that managed to escape came out as a snort and resulted in another playful hit before Fili wrapped his arm around her neck and ground his knuckles into her head, ruffling her hair, and making her laugh more.

When Fili let her go, he was smiling. "Apology accepted, but if you do it again…"

Astrid opened her mouth to say something in reply, but more goblins screamed and dark shapes moved through the darkness just beyond the rim of the firelight, long fingers digging into the ground and kicking up dirt and grass. She only saw a few of them, five a most. On either side of her, Fili and Kili tensed, their hands falling somewhere near their weapons. Astrid moved back, one hand searching for her knives or her bow—anything. There was a prickling between her shoulder blades and the fear was clenching her insides.

As if summoned by the increased tension and danger, Thorin awoke and moved up beside his nephews like a shadow, his still-sheathed sword in his hands, ready to be drawn and used if the need arose. He didn't look like he'd just woken up; there was nothing sleepy about his movements at all.

"Have they made a move toward us?" he asked, approaching the edge of the firelight.

Fili shook his head, all business. "They have just been circling."

The dwarves and the human fell silent so they could listen, prepare for any sign of attack. However, the only noises were the crackling of the fire and the deep breaths and snoring of some of the dwarves. They waited, eyes glued to the darkness outside the firelight.

"They have gone," Thorin grumbled after a few moments.

Astrid dropped the knife she was holding and pulled her hand to her chest, the appendage still shaking rather violently. Cursing under her breath, she tried to draw away from Thorin, Fili, and Kili, to hide, but they saw her move. Kili look concerned, and Fili did too, to a certain extent. Thorin looked at her, his face lined with disappointment. Astrid imagined he'd been waiting to see her falter or fail since she'd inserted herself in the quest.

"If you cannot handle yourself around a few goblins, you have no place in this company," he said.

Astrid set her jaw and glared up at the dwarf, her green eyes dark in the dim light. "My fear would not have stopped me from fighting."

"Now we will never know for sure."

She glared harder and pushed herself to her feet, putting her level with Thorin and taking away the intimidation gained by him looming over her. She didn't say anything—she couldn't think of anything to say—but she met Thorin's gaze and held her ground and it was Thorin who backed away first, huffing in derision and annoyance before returning to his bedroll to catch a few more hours' sleep. Fili and Kili, who had both risen out of their battle-ready half-crouch, looked between Astrid and their uncle, faces carefully blank.

"Get some sleep, Astrid. Getting through the pass will be easier if you are rested," Fili said.

She nodded. "I will try. I am sorry—"

"You have nothing to apologize for now," Kili said, trying to make his voice light, his comment a joke.

Astrid gave him a weak smile before returning to her own bedroll and dropping onto her side, tucking one arm beneath her head. The cries of the goblins were gone and the air of the foothills was silent outside the campground. She wrapped her mind in the sounds of the sleeping dwarves and the fire and of her own heart beating in her ears and felt herself begin to drift off.

The last thing she heard before she finally managed to fall asleep again was the distant rumble of thunder.

Sorry for the delay. I used to be better at juggling more than one writing project at a time. I've been having trouble focusing as well though, and things are getting busier with my courses and work and asdfghjkl I wish I could just write all the time, you know?

Anyways, please enjoy and I'll try and make the time between now and the next update A LOT shorter.