#th

You shuddered, pulling your thin blanket tighter around you. The temperature overnight had dropped to below freezing. You sat up, bleary-eyed, your eyes scanning the makeshift camp around you. A dwindling fire had been made in the center, its embers a faint red as they slowly died. The snow, which was blowing in from the opening to the mountain cave, had surely put it out faster than it was meant to. You crawled to it, your palms against the frozen earth as you blew softly on the embers, hoping for the slightest spark.

The fire reignited briefly, a single lick of flame extending above the soot. You quickly thrust your numb hands over it, desperate for its fleeting warmth before it quickly faded to ash once again.

You let out a small sigh of frustration, quickly followed by uncontrollable shaking as your body withstood a cold gust of wind from the opening in the mountainside. You grabbed your blanket from your sleep roll and sat as close as you possibly could to whatever was left of the fire, regretting having chosen the least protective spot in the mountain cave. You'd surely smell like smoke tomorrow, but it was either that or you freeze to death.

From the other side of camp, deeper within the cave, came the quiet crunch of heavy boots, echoing softly against the stone walls. You looked up to see Thorin, returning with a few pieces of salvaged wood. You weren't sure that he'd gotten any sleep at all yet, having wanted to scout out the deeper part of the cave for safety while the rest of the company got some much-needed rest.

"Move back," his voice came as a low rumble, hushed enough so that he wouldn't wake anyone else. You obeyed, watching him kneel by the pile of soot and ash. Where your attempts to rekindle the fire had failed, he got it flickering a little brighter in no time, blowing softly on the tiny flames as they grew.

He sat back a moment, guarding the flames from the wind with his body. You stared at them too, watching their little tongues feed on the fresh wood. It was quiet a moment, and all that could be heard was the faint crackling and muffled howls of the wind from outside.

"Have you gotten any sleep?" Thorin murmured, his eyes raised to meet yours. "It isn't safe to sleep so close to the fire."

You shook your head. "It was nearly dead, do not worry. It was the cold that kept me awake."

Thorin watched your face, the way your eyelids struggled to raise more than halfway, the whites of your eyes tinged with strain and redness, and the shadow beneath them. It looked like you hadn't slept in days. With this cold, it was likely that you hadn't. Thorin regretted not having noticed earlier.

"Will the fire be enough?" He spoke again, concern lacing his voice. It'd be no good for you or the company to be so sleep deprived. Everyone had to be at their full strength for survival until they reached the lonely mountain.

You nodded, gathering up your blanket and returning to your bedroll. It was the slightest bit better, but the tiny flames did no good for the cold that had already seeped into your bones, numbing your extremities, even casting a slight frost on bits of your hair.

Thorin kept a close eye on you as you returned to your spot against the cold cave wall, bundling yourself up to the best of your ability. But he noticed the way you continued to shudder, the fire hardly making any bit of a difference. Your eyes were closed, clearly pretending to sleep just to not worry the mind of the dwarven prince, but he couldn't watch you freeze any longer.

A warm hand peeled the blanket back from your face suddenly, and you opened your eyes to the Thorin's larger stature kneeling before you. "Come," he said quietly, his hand on your shoulder to guide you to a sitting position.

"It's alright, Thorin. It's not quite as cold anymore, I'll be able to sleep," you said quickly, not wanting to be a burden. You also feared any sort of special treatment. The other dwarves had already seen the way Thorin's eyes followed you wherever you went, trained on your every move as if to watch over you. He'd even confided in you before, speaking to you in a different way he did any of them. And they made sure you knew that they knew, teasing you any chance they got. Mainly Kili and Fili. Where it was amusing at first, it soon reduced you to a lesser member of the company, one who constantly required attention and protection from their leader. Although this was hardly true.

"You're shaking," he answered dryly, and you almost caught a bit of a smirk. Obviously you were cold, and it would be less than honorable as a prince to allow a valued member of his company to freeze in the night, especially when he could do something about it.

A pink hue flushed your features, but you accepted his arm which he offered, looping your trembling fingers around his bicep. As you stood, he draped his heavy coat over your shoulders, the heat retained from his body instantly relaxing your muscles.

He led you quietly over sleeping dwarves towards the back of the cave where his own bedroll was laid out.

"Will the coat be enough?" he asked, sitting next to his bedroll, leaving it open to you.

"Thorin, I couldn't possibly--"

"I insist," he assured, tugging on your hand slightly, beckoning you to lie down and get comfortable. "I've had more than enough sleep these past few nights. You need it."

You had to admit; the far side of the cave was significantly less freezing than where you'd been lying. And with his long coat draped comfortably over you as you curled into a ball on his bedroll -- you could almost say it was warm.

Thorin sat close by, keeping a respectful distance between the two of you. Just near enough so that the radiating heat of his body reached you, but giving you space enough to comfortably sleep.

You even began to get drowsy, your eyelids fully closing as your mind wandered.

But just as you were about the drift off into a peaceful sleep, a forceful gust of wind entered the cave, once again dimming the fire to mere embers. You stirred, making a small whimper as the cold wind stung your nose.

"Shhh," Thorin hushed you as his hand came to rest on your head, fingers softly massaging your scalp. "Go to sleep."