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Y/n didn’t know how long she and the company had been staying in the castle under the mountain. A week? Two? She’d lost track of time in the dim firelight that lit the halls and danced over the soot-covered walls. Y/n had never seen the dragon, but she knew it was gone. She had felt the ground shake and heard its deep rumbling roar the night it had flown away, the night Bilbo had walked down the hallway the group had not dared go down. Ever since that night, the ground had been still; the days and nights were quiet. The company had moved their packs from the narrow hallway by the hidden door, to the front entrance by the grand hall. Y/n was allowed to wander once more. But Y/n saw what the dragon had done to the dwarven palace and did not wander. She stayed huddled with her group of dwarves.

As day and night stretched into one, the mood grew evermore somber. Something was wrong with Thorin. It was impossible to know what, but he’d locked himself away in the great hall with the coins and the gems and he no longer came out. Y/n heard the others talking in murmurs and saw their secretive glances at the doors. Something was wrong and they all felt the tension grow.

On a particularly dark night, Thorin burst from his chambers of gold and commanded the large front gate be barricaded. The dwarves rushed to block the main entrance with everything and anything. Y/n helped just as she always did, but she couldn’t move the large boulders of debris with one fluid push like the others, so Kili helped her. The dwarves constructed stairs out of rock and metal that climbed to the top of the barricade, to the platform looking over the land below. Y/n couldn’t help with that part so she sat with Bilbo and watched, their brows furrowed with worry.

It took them a night and a day to finish, but finish it they did. When the construction was done, Kili took Y/n’s hand and dragged her up the haphazard steps to the very top. He pointed out into the early night. A millions little lights floated and danced across the lake. Torches. Someone was coming, a million little someones.

Y/n glanced at Kili. Over the many hours they had spent together, her anger towards him faded to a slight indignation. He’d acted apologetic; he even gave her his rations one night. Kili might have even apologized. She wouldn’t know.

Kili press his back against the wall and slid to the ground. Y/n sat with him. They sat there all night, mesmerized by the rising moon and the lanterns growing ever closer. Eventually, Y/n nodded off into a restless sleep and though Kili tried to keep his eye on the horizon, he too slipped into dream.

“You up there! Hello!”

Y/n jolted up. Fresh air cascaded over her body and gentle sunlight lit the land. Kili sat up from the wall he had been slumped against. Both looked down at the man standing in the field below.

“Bard?” Y/n asked. Kili stood up, took her hand, and helped her to her feet.

“Y/n,” The man replied. “It is good to see you unharmed.”

“We have to go,” Kili muttered in her ear. Y/n looked out and saw a vast army in the distance; sunlight reflected off of armor, tents were being erected, and banners were fluttering in the wind.

Kili pulled her hand urgently and Y/n ran with him down the steep stairs, back into the safety of the palace.

“Thorin! Thorin!” Kili called to his uncle. “They have arrived.”

Kili released Y/n’s hand and grabbed his bow. All of the dwarves took up arms as the door to the great hall opened, and a sickly Thorin stepped out. The dwarves formed a tight circle by the base of the barricade and began to talk in low tones. Y/n leaned against the wall adjacent and listened to a conversation she could not understand, about matters she could only guess. Frustration filled her very soul.

The youngest prince separated himself from the dwarves as they made their way up the stairs. He walked over to Y/n.

“Come with me,” Kili said. He gestured for her to follow him. Y/n peeled herself off the wall and walked beside him. He sounded serious.

The tapping of their shoes against the stone floor was the only sound to break the resounding silence as Kili led her through hallways and passageways until they reached the armory.

The prince heaved the door open. With Y/n at his side, he stepped in. It was expansive to say the least, with enough armor and weapons to supply an army. Unfortunately for the company, they didn’t have an arm. They had thirteen dwarves a hobbit and a girl from somewhere else.

Kili gazed around the room until his eyes landed on the biggest breastplate he could find. He walked over to it and lifted it up. He held it out to Y/n.

The girl furrowed her brow and reached out her hands to take it from him. Kili shook his head. He placed the piece of armor down momentarily. He pointed to her and then lifted his arms over his head. Y/n imitated him. Kili nodded, a slight smile on his face. He slid the cold and dusty armor over Y/n’s head and onto her body.

She looked down at herself as she wiped the dust and dirt off of the engraved metal. The armor didn’t fit well. It was made for a large male dwarf, stockier and wider than her. While it was too big around the shoulders and torso, it was also too short for her.

“We’re going to war,” Kili said. And for once, Y/n understood exactly what he was saying.