Bilbo and the dwarves had reached the end of the river, having been chased by raging waves and Orcs.

"Make for the shore!" Thorin commanded as he lead. "Come on, let's go!"

They all heaved and crawled out of their barrels and onto the riverbank, weighed down by water, but only one of them fell.

Kili groaned in pain as he pressed a cloth on his bleeding thigh. Bofur looked more concerned than Kili was.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." He attempted to sound stronger.

By then, his brother was next to him, examining his wound. His uncle seemed less concerned.

"There's an Orc pack behind us. We keep moving."

"To where?" Balin hopelessly asked.

"To the mountain," Bilbo hopefully reminded them, "we're so close!"

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it."

"So then we go around."

"The Orcs will run us down, sure as daylight." Dwalin argued, "We've no weapons to defend ourselves."

Thorin listened to all the arguments.

"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes."

While Balin and Oin bound Kili's leg, others sat about waiting for Thorin's next command. Ori sat by the river, tipping over his boot to drain out water. Suddenly, he caught the eerie feeling that someone was watching him, and his worry soon spread to the others.

The company jumped, seeing the bowman standing atop the hill. Dwalin leapt in front of Ori, holding a branch as a weapon, but the bowman expertly shot it right between Dwalin's hands. He shot down Kili's weapon too and pointed the next arrow at the dwarf's head.

"Do it again, and you're dead."

Among the chaos, Balin had spotted a barge floating in the river behind the man.

"Excuse me, but you're from Lake-town, if I'm not mistaken. That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

As the old dwarf bargained, the man eyed him curiously.

"What makes you think I'll help you?"

Eventually, Balin had convinced the lake man to smuggle them into Lake town, offering him money.

The bargemen, Bard as Bilbo learned, rowed them through the foggy lake, having more confidence in his boating than the dwarves did. Balin asked the company to give up their coins to pay Bard. Fili ignorantly tossed his pouch over, distracted by his own personal turmoil.

"I have been bled dry by this venture!"

As Gloin complained about his misfortunes, the others caught sight of their goal through the fog. Gloin joined the others as they all rose in the majesty of the Lonely Mountain.

"The money, quick, give it to me!" Bard hastily interrupted their moment.

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, but not before." Thorin grumbled.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say."

The company did as Bard told. They went into the barrels again, this time with the company of dead fish. They were almost exposed by someone named Alfrid, but the conniving bargemen got them past the gates, and up his toilets.

As the dwarves sat about the house wrapped in blankets, Thorin looked out the window, catching side of the past. Fili too was thinking of old times, but his memories are much more recent. Oh how foolish he'd been, falling for someone he just met. And for worse, she'd turned out to be an elf!

Bilbo noticed the blonde dwarf cursing himself, and went over to comfort him.

"She never meant to betray you, Fili. She saved your life for heaven's sake!"

"Yeah? It would've hurt less if she'd left me for dead."

"She couldn't! Ella cared for you, Fili. Perhaps if circumstances had been different-"

Fili jumped up.

"If circumstances were different, we'd still be up in that mountain, never having crossed paths with her!"

The whole house turned to look at Fili at his outburst. Lucky for him, Bard had gone out. Thorin took pity on his nephew and went to him.

"We will raid the armory tonight and be on our way soon enough, my boy." He reassuringly squeezed Fili's shoulder. "The prince of Erebor will have so many beauties at his feet, you'll soon forget her."

Fili grabbed his uncle's arm in understanding.

"When do we leave?"

They left that night, Bard's son unable to stop them. Thorin lead them to the armory, hiding from the watchmen on the way. Once there, Thorin made the mistake of trusting Kili, and his wounded leg got them apprehended and marched to the town square.

The town master accused them of being enemies of the state, which didn't sit well with Dwalin. In his anger, he exposed Thorin for what he was: king under the mountain. Thorin rallied the townsfolk, promising a return of the prosperous old days, but was suddenly countered by Bard, who had learned of the prophecy concerning Thorin's return. But Thorin's promise turned the crowd against Bard, who was previously hailed as the savior of the common folk.

Convinced and greedy for the mountain's wealth, the town master accepted Thorin's deal and the next morning sent most of the company on their way, decked in armor and weapons. Fili and Oin stayed behind with a sickening Kili, and Bofur had missed the boat. Carrying a fallen Kili, the rest took him to the master for help, but the man's hospitality had run out.

By luck, Bard, however offended by Thorin's insults, took pity and let them in once again. They laid Kili on a table, Oin trying to keep the infection away. Bard offered them all the herbs he had, but he didn't have the one they needed. The pigs did. Bofur went looking for kingsfoil, and Bard took his son to get the wind lance, the only weapon to kill the dragon.

The others waited for the two to return, as they had not returned by nightfall. Bard's elder daughter, Sigrid, went looking for him, but only found an orc. She screamed as it forced its way into the house, other orcs finding entry through the roof. The house soon became overrun with orcs, and the dwarves threw anything their hands could reach while the kids hid under the table. The mortals were defenseless against the creatures, when suddenly, two elves jumped in, fending off the orcs with expert swordsmanship.

Legolas chased the orcs outside while Tauriel slay the monsters inside. He saw the orcs leaving and went back to get Tauriel, but she chose to stay with the dwarves. Legolas read into the situation and heartbroken, left to chase the orcs himself. The prince elf reached the docks and began killing all the orcs that crossed his path, catching the attention of their master, Bolg.

Legolas found the scarfaced Orc standing on the other side of a long alley, and the two glared at each other. Out of arrows, Legolas unsheathed Thorin's sword from his belt, swaying it as he advanced towards his enemy. Midway, he got ambushed by two other orcs, but their attacks were blocked by another sword. Legolas whipped back to avoid being hit, more stunned to find his mother triumphantly smiling at him.

She nodded towards the master Orc.

"You can handle one, can't you?" Eluriel teased, and Legolas scoffed at her before he charged at Bolg again.

The orc and the elf locked in a feisty battle, until Bolg caught Legolas's sword and sent him back into a pillar. The monster was about to kick him when Legolas caught its leg and knocked it off balance. Legolas grabbed the Orc's head and repeatedly bashed it into a post, then threw the creature against a wall. Bolg bounced off the wall and caught Legolas in a crushing embrace. The prince was almost fainted until the queen slashed the creature's back, making it release her son. As the master Orc wailed in pain, more orcs jumped in, distracting the elves in a fight as Bolg got away.

The mother and son duo expertly killed the orcs, then finally had a chance to embrace. Legolas leaned against a wall, breathless, then was startled as he felt something trickle down his nose. He touched his lip and saw fluid on his hands, shocked by seeing his own blood. Elves didn't bleed easy.

Eluriel too saw her son bleed and rushed over, motherly fussing over Legolas's nosebleed.

"Let me..."

"Nana! Stop!"

"Hold still, just..."

"Nana!" Legolas determinedly called out and Eluriel finally stepped back.

"I'm not an little ellon anymore," he defended himself.

Eluriel sadly smiled and brushed his hair back.

"Of course you're not! But you'll always be my little leaf."

The elves touched heads in embrace, only to have their moment interrupted by the howls of wargs. Legolas almost dashed after them, not yet having let go of Eluriel, but suddenly stopped. He turned back to look at his mother.

"Go after them. I'll join you soon."

Legolas nodded to his mother and obeyed. Eluriel turned back towards the house, collecting Legolas's arrows on her way back. This would be the first time she would see her friends since the dungeon, she didn't know how they would react. How he would react.

When Eluriel entered the home, she saw Kili lying on the table, a basket of walnuts under his head. Tauriel was standing over him and when she saw her, quickly curtseyed. Eluriel shook her head as she came over to Kili.

"How are you feeling now?" She gently asked him.

"She tells me I'll live. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"I think I did. I hope it didn't cost me our friendship."

"Never."

A noise from the kitchen distracted them and Ellie turned to see Bofur watching her. She clasped hands with Kili one last time and left him with Tauriel.

"I saw the elf bow to you."

"Turns out I'm the Queen. Where are the others?"

"Thorin took most of them up the mountain, Oin's making ointment for Kili."

"I see."

"Fili's out the back."

Ellie locked eyes with the dwarf, and the look on his face told her he knew. She smiled at him and went out.

She saw him playing with the girls, entertaining the young one with simple tricks. The older one saw her first and her sister followed suit. 

"Are you a princess?" The little one asked.

Eluriel kindly smiled at her.

"It takes one to see one," Ellie returned the compliment and curtseyed. She turned to Fili, but the dwarf looked away.

The older girl read the tension between them and lead her sister inside. Ellie smiled at them as they went past her.

"Fili..." she started once the girls were gone.

"Why are you here? To see if we're dead?" He accused, without turning to face her.

"Can I not be here to see if you're alive?"

"What does my life mean to you!"

"Everything!" Ellie defended, tears in her eyes. "Can we not be friends? Have dwarves really such hate for-"

"It is not about dwarves and elves!" Fili finally turned to face her, teary eyed. "It was about you... and me."

"I know!" Eluriel cried. "Believe me, had I forever been the Ella you knew, I would have been yours till the end of time."

Fili let his tears fall.

"But I'm Eluriel! Thranduil is my heart, and Legolas my soul. Will you punish me for that?"

"You punish me." Fili turned away again, gripping the rails tightly to contain his sobs.

"I am... so sorry, Fili. I know you love me, and Ella loved you too. I hope you can find her again."

"You should go."

"Not if we don't part as friends."

Fili looked to the sky to find his strength, then turned back around.

"We elves leave our friends with gifts. You gave me a riding cloak once. I want you to have this."

Ellie took off a smaller blade from her belt and knelt to present it to Fili. It was small for her, but a good fit for a dwarf. Made of elvish crafting, he couldn't find a better weapon.

Fili hesitated to take it, but Ellie didn't get up until he sighed and lifted it off her hands.

"You'll need it soon. Prophetic times are upon us."

Fili tried to find the Lonely Mountain in the distance.

"What will you do?" Fili asked her.

"I'm the elven queen. The armies of Greenwood will rally behind the king under the mountain. You?"

"I'll stand with my brother, and my uncle."

"Speaking of family, I should go find mine."

"Goodbye, Eluriel."

"I'll see you soon."