It was their third day staying with Beorn and they were planning on leaving the next morning. They were going to leave that day since Sepha was fully healed now but Beorn insisted they wait one more day so that he could scout the area for Azog. the orc had strangely disapeared and that worried them.

Thorin was finding it rather hard to do anything without staring at Persephone. The girl was watching Bofur and Nori doing spoon tricks, laughing with Fili and Kili and Thorin had been caught staring several times. He didn't really care that Balin and Dwalin caught him staring for they obviously knew about his feelings but for some reason, Persephone was on alert. He wondered if someone had told her what he had muttered in kuzdul. That would explain why she kept looking over at him occasionally, out of the time catching him watching her.

"If you keep staring your eyes are going to wear out," Balin muttered, coming to sit next to Thorin.

The dwarf prince was seated on a bench across the room from the others, leaning on his knees and fidgeting with his hands. His blue eyes intensely watching Persephone.

"I can't help it," the dwarf whispered back.

Balin smiled, "I don't expect you to help it. I expect you to do something about it."

Thorin finally tore his eyes from Persephone and looked at Balin, "What do you mean?"

"If you keep staring you'll either scare the poor lass or she'll start to think something is wrong. Also, if you dont stake a claim soon, someone will come along and snatch the lass. She's old enough to wed and with those looks and her traveling as much as she does, I find it a miracle that someone hasn't courted her yet."

Thorin shook his head, "But how do I do that? She doesn't know any of the dwarfish customs."

Balin smiled, "Well some of them are obvious. Like shows of physical strength."

Thorin opened his mouth to point out that he had joined in the sparring but Balin shook his head, "Without invitation. You have to do it without Dwalin inviting you to do it."

Thorin sighed and ran his hands over his face, "But what will that do when she doesn't know the meaning behind it?"

Balin shrugged, "As the trip goes on I can gradually explain the customs of dwarfish courting to her. I can tell her that you brought up that she doesn't know much and I'll offer to teach her. That way, you can begin to show small signs of affection and she can understand."

"But why must I show a feet of physical strength?"

"To impress her laddie," Balin said. "Try to think outside the box. Forget the customs for a moment and think about winning her. You are obviously impressed with her beyond doubt but you have never tried to impress her."

"I didn't want to see like a showoff," Thorin mumbled.

Balin smirked, "Which is a side of you I appreciate. If you don't want her to think of you as a showoff, show physical strength and act like you don't know she's there."

Thorin sat there thinking about it a moment before nodding, "Alright.... when?"

"Now," Balin suggested. "I'll be sure to make sure the lass follows within five minutes."

Thorin nodded and rising to his feet, he headed out of the house. Balin casually walked over to the table and sat down with the others. Occasionally he peered out the window and he could see that Thorin was having trouble figuring something out. He wasn't going to give up on the dwarf prince so easily so he decided to give him a boost.

"Laddies, when was the last time you washed your clothes?" Balin asked, wrinkling his nose.

The dwarves were about to point out that they never wash their things but Balin gave them a warning look. Persephone perked up.

"If you guys need laundry washed, I can do it."

"Oh don't worry yourself lass," Gloin remarked. "You don't have to do that."

Persephone shook her head, "Oh stop it! I have been practically an invalid the past three days and it's driving me insane! I want to help! I can never help with meals because that would mean Bofur wouldn't get his night to cook and he needs to practice."

"You got that right," Bombur muttered.

"If you're sure lass," Dwalin remarked, catching onto his brother's plan.

Sepha nodded, "Just give me what you need cleaned and I'll take care of it. Might as well before we leave tomorrow. Don't want to travel in soiled clothing."

The girl headed off and soon located a scrub brush and a bar of soap. When she returned, She saw that all the dwarves were in breeches and had wrapped their cloaks around them because their shirts were in the basket. There was a basket of clothes that Dwalin handed her.

"Thanks again Lass," he said.

Persephone nodded and looked around, counting dwarves, "Where's Thorin?"

Balin tried to restrain from grinning. The plan was working! Fili and Kili's heads snapped up at that and they caught the sparkle in Balin's eyes, making them suspicious.

"He's out back, chopping wood for Beorn," Balin said after glancing out the window.

Persephone nodded and headed out the back. Once she was gone, Balin turned to see FIli and Kili glaring at him suspiciously, arms crossed.

"You're cheating," Fili hissed.

"No I'm not," Balin objected. "I'm just giving them a little boost."

"Cheating on what?" Bofur inquired, curious.

"We made a bet with the lads," Dwalin explained. "They bet that Thorin and Persephone wouldn't become a couple till after we reclaim Erabor. My brother and I think they will before."

Bofur grinned and rubbed his hands, "OOOOOH! Count me in!"

Meanwhile, Persephone had stepped out of the house with the basket and had found Thorin in the back, chopping wood. He was only wearing his blue tunic, shirt, breeches and boots. Every time he slammed the axe into the wood, she could see his muscles flex beneath his tunic. She was surprised at how smoothly but strongly the axe met the block with a deep thunk.

"Thorin," she called.

Thorin turned and took in the sight of the girl, "Yeah?"

"I was just going to wash the other's things before we left tomorrow. Do you have anything that needs cleaning?"

Thorin was about to object but something told him that Balin had told her to do that. He felt his ears go red realizing what Balin was trying to get him to do. He was trying to think of something when Persephone spoke up.

"You have blood and dirt caked into your tunic," she pointed out. "You're jerkin is already in here."

THorin nodded and removed his blue tunic, leaving him in only his pants and blue shirt. He rolled the tunic up and placed it in the basket. He didn't even have to look at his shirt to know it was just as caked with dried sweat and dirt. Trying to fight back the redness appearing on his ears, he removed his shirt and placed it in the basket.

Without meeting her eyes, he bent down and picked up his axe. He stood back up and grabbed a log, "Thanks Sepha."

When the girl didn't reply he looked at her to see that her cheeks had gone bright pink and she was staring slightly. She quickly nodded and headed off, leaving Thorin with a huge grin on his face. Working so far.

Persephone cleaned all the dwarves's clothes and laid them on the grass to dry. By the time she reached Thorin's, her hands were slightly numb from the scrubbing but she didn't mind. She grabbed THorin's shirt and was about to submerge it in the water when she stopped. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Fili and Kili weren't creeping up on her, she buried her nose in the shirt and breathed in.

She missed that smell. When Thorin had been holding her when Oin had been operating on her, his scent had filled her nose and had been the only thing to keep her conscious. He smelled of forests, smoke and sweat. It was the best smell.

Taking one more smell, she scrubbed it long and hard, being sure to get all the blood stains out. When she finished, she grabbed all the now dry clothes and placing them in the basket, headed back up to the house.

When she approached, she had first thought to stop by and give THorin his shirt and tunic but something made her freeze in her tracks. THorin was still chopping wood but of course he was still shirtless and now he was sweating. As he slammed the axe into the block, pulling it out easily, his arm muscles rippled. Sepha found herself staring and she was glad she had good self control or her mouth would have dropped.

Thorin slammed the axe again but this time he noticed her and smiled at her, acting completely innocent, pretending to not notice the bright blush on her face. Persephone smiled and quickly tore her eyes away, heading indoors.

She was so occupied in trying to not blush that she didn't notice all the dwarves scurrying away from the window where they had been crowding to watch what was happening outside.

Persephone continued to sort out the clothes, lying them next to each person's bag. The dwarves all came and grabbed their things, heading into the stalls to change. Persephone continued to fold their coats and was just folding Thorin's shirt when she felt a presence behind her.

Before she could even turn to see which dwarf it was, a hand reached out and reaching into the basket, pulled out the blue tunic. Persephone didn't even have to turn around to know it was THorin. She recognized the tattoo on his arm, the brace on his wrist.... the sweat and the shape of his muscles.

She felt her cheeks flame bright red and she tried to hide behind her hair but Thorin's braid was still intact and it kept the hair out of her eyes. UGH!

"You got all the blood off," THorin's deep voice said, close to her ear. "Thank you."

The girl nodded but didn't look up. She hadn't noticed that she was still folding his shirt till he spoke again.

"I don't think you can fold it anymore."

Persephone snapped out of her daze and shoved the shirt at THorin, not looking up. She bent down to grab the basket but found that it was gone. Thorin had moved it.

"What's wrong?" the dwarf inquired, "You look flushed."

Persephone didn't look up until he pulled on his shirt but when she did, she smacked herself inwardly. Even with his shirt on, she could still make out his well toned body, his broad chest and without his tunic, he still looked incredibly hot.

She found herself staring again but this time she didn't catch it in time, "Thanks again."

Persephone nodded and quickly walked off, missing the smile on Thorin's gaze. She also completely missed seeing Dwalin, Bofur, Oin, Balin, Bombur and Dori give him a thumbs up from across the room, all the other dwarves muttering under their breath that the others were 'cheating'.

That night, Persephone found it impossible to sleep. She still couldn't get THorin out of her head. What had happened? Since her sparring match with him, she had noticed on and off how he would constantly watch her when she wasn't looking and when she looked at him, he would look away. Of course, his beard and his long hair prevented her from seeing if he turned red.

Then, she would remember watching him remove his shirt in front of her.... sweat pouring down his chest...

She sat up. Looking around, she saw that all the dwarves and Gandalf were asleep. Beorn was still gone and wouldn't be back till dawn. She reached down and scratched her side. Her wound was itchy which was a result of it healing but it got annoying sometimes. Getting up silently, she grabbed her bag and headed to the kitchen.

The kitchen was in view of the sleeping dwarves but the furthest she could go. She grabbed a bucket of water and began to heat it quietly. While it heated, she grabbed fresh bandages from her bag and her shirt which she had mended.

Checking over her shoulder to ensure that the dwarves were asleep, she removed Kili's shirt. She still wore her bra (in middle earth, the bras come up as high as a sport's bra and low, almost to the naval). She laid his shirt on the table, planning on cleaning it before returning it to Kili.

Grabbing the bandages, she began to unwind her other bandages on her side. Her back was fully healed and only got sore occasionally.

What she didn't know was that a certain Dwarf prince had been roused by the sound of shuffling. Slowly opening his blue eyes, he saw the silhouette of Persephone nearby. He watched as she removed Kili's shirt and lay it on the table. He couldn't see her clearly for the candle only lit up her face and made her siloughette visible.

Thorin watched entranced as she removed her bandages, cleaned her wound carefully and rebandaged her side. When she finished, she placed the dirty bandages and kili's shirt near the door where she would find them the next day to wash. THorin quickly shut his eyes and pretended to sleep silently when she passed. However, her footsteps stopped near him and he wondered if she was looking at him.

In fact, as she was passing the dwarf prince, she had froze and was looking at his sleeping form. Even covered in his cloak, his eyes closed and mouth shut he was gorgeous. His lashes were long and dark... his face clean... his lips firm and one arm crossed over his stomach, his strong hand gripping Orcrist.

"Vaem hef tho bjorgart ilv mikk?" She whispered. (What have you done to me?)

Persephone knew that the whisper was too quiet to wake anyone but she didn't know that THorin had heard it loud and clear and his heart had done a leap at the sound of it.

He heard her footsteps leave after a moment and he heard the straw rustle as she laid down. After about ten minutes he dared to open his eyes and saw the girl sleeping on the other side of Kili, further away from the snoring dwarves. Fili and Kili were lying facing each other and Persephone was sleeping about an arms length from Kili near her pack.

Her eyes were closed, her brown hair cascading down her back as she laid on her side. Thorin watched her in the dark for a while till he saw her shiver and whimper. she was dreaming.

Without hesitation the dwarf got up and tiptoeing quietly past the others, he laid down beside her on the straw. She was now violently tossing her head back and forth, unable to wake up from the horrible dream. THorin gently placed his hand on her cheek and pressed his forehead against hers.

"It's alright. I'm here," he whispered.

Almost instantly, the girl stopped shaking and relaxed, still sound asleep. Thorin shifted so he was lying slightly sitting up and he pulled the sleeping girl into his arms. He was surprised when the girl turned and nuzzled her face into his chest before falling back asleep.

Thorin sighed and watched the girl as she slept. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled, "You have no idea what you have done to me."

When they woke up the next morning, Persephone was the first to wake and she almost yelped in surprise when she felt the rise and fall of a chest beneath her. Lifting her green eyes, she realized she had fallen asleep on top of Thorin!

"Wha..." she started but THorin shifted in his sleep.

The girl almost squeaked when Thorin's arm tightened around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him before he nuzzled his face into her hair and laid still, "Amralime" he mumbled.

Sepha's eyes widened at the familiar dwarfish word and was glad that everyone was asleep or they would have seen her go pink. Careful as to not rouse THorin, she shifted out of his arms and began to pack. She finished cleaning her bandages and Kili's shirt before she returned.

By then, all the other dwarves were awake including THorin and were silently packing their things. Thorin seemed to act like he hadn't fallen asleep with the girl in his arms and Sepha found it hard not to stare at him nor to turn red when he looked at her.

"Any sign of Beorn?" kili asked.

Sepha shook her head, "Not as of yet. He'll probably be back soon."

The dwarves nodded and all sat down to find something quiet to do while they waited for the skin changer.

When Persephone headed back indoors from helping Gandalf feed the ponies, she found that the dwarves were sitting in a circle around Dwalin and Balin who were arm wrestling over a large chunk of log.

"What's going on?" the girl inquired of Fili and Kili.

the two young dwarves grinned, "We decided that one of us needs to be your 'protector' so we're having an arm wrestling competition to see which of us has the job of protecting you."

"Guys," Sepha groaned, "I don't need a babysitter."

"Not a babysitter lass," Oin explained. "Just someone who will ensure that you are alright. We wont smother you I promise."

What Sepha wasn't being told was that arm wrestling over a female for dwarves was seen as an act of dominance. Whoever won the competition would have first dibs on courting the lass. Of course, none of the other dwarves had an interest in courting the girl but they were trying to urge Thorin to stake a claim.

Dwalin beat Balin but the good natured old dwarf smiled, "Who's next?"

FIli and Kili were about to step up but Balin shook his head, "Bofur bested you two already."

"I will," a voice rang out.

Sepha felt her cheeks go pink as Thorin stepped up to the block and sat down opposite Dwalin. Sepha completely missed the smirk coming from half the dwarves because she was too busy trying to not blush and stare as THorin rolled up one of his sleeves. He placed his elbow on the block and gripped Dwalin's hand tightly.

When Balin signaled them to begin, Sepha swallowed when she saw Thorin's arm tense and the muscles and veins in his arm flex as he fought against Dwalin. While Dwalin was saying things in Kuzdul, groaning and grunting, Thorin didn't make a noise and had his blue eyes trained on their hands calmly.

Suddenly, Dwalin's hand made contact with the block. Thorin won!

The dwarves all cheered and Dwalin patted Thorin on the shoulder, "Still the best laddie."

"Well then I guess that makes Uncle, Persephone's protector," Fili started.

"I don't need a babysitter," Sepha objected, even though she didn't mind the idea of Thorin protecting her.

"It's just a precaution," THorin told her as he got to his feet.

Persephone felt her heart stop as he passed her, looking at her for a moment from beneath his long lashes.