An Unexpected Chance; book one

Chapter Five; Save me from the Stubbornness of Dwarves

Several weeks had passed, and y/n was starting to get tired of the smell. None of them had taken a bath since they had started the quest, and y/n could feel it. Her wounds were healed, and her body was starting to adjust to her new lifestyle. She was now able to help out more.
Y/n had rode next to Fili and Kili all day. They berated her with questions, and y/n answered a couple of them.
Ahead of them, Thorin stopped his pony and turned it towards the others. They had stopped in a small field, with a broken down house nearby.
“We’ll camp here for the night.” Thorin said.
Everyone dismounted and started to set up camp. Y/n helped Bombur get things ready to make dinner. She heard Thorin tell Fili and Kili to watch the ponies. She looked up and she saw Gandalf talking to Thorin within the walls of the broken down house. Whatever they were talking about, Thorin didn’t seem pleased. She watched as Gandalf got frustrated, then walked away from the dwarf in a huff.
“Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?” Bilbo asked.
“To seek the company of the only one around here who’s got any sense.” Gandalf said, passing Bilbo.
“And who’s that?’ Bilbo asked.
“Myself, Mr. Baggins!” Gandalf shouted.
The dwarves startled to mumble.
“I’ve had enough of dwarves for one day.” y/n heard Gandalf grumble.
“Come on, Bombur, we’re hungry.” Thorin said after the wizard had left.
“Is he coming back?” Bilbo asked worriedly.
Balin just shrugged his shoulders at Bilbo then continued to untack his pony.
Oin and Gloin got the fire started, and not to long later dinner was finished. The sun had set and everyone was enjoying their meal. All except Bilbo, who had yet to sit down since Gandalf left.
“He’s been a long time.” Bilbo said.
“Who?” asked Bofur.
“Gandalf.” Said Bilbo.
“He’s a wizard. He does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor. Take this to the lads.” Bofur said, handing Bilbo two bowls of soup to take to Fili and Kili, who were watching the ponies.
Bilbo took the bowls and walked off. Bombur walked up to the cauldron and tried to take another helping of soup. Bofur slapped his hand away.
“Stop it. You’ve had plenty.” Bofur told him.
Y/n sat by herself and just quietly ate her soup. Her appetite had finally returned, and she was happy that she was able to enjoy a full meal. Ori had given her some paper and a pencil, and she quietly doodled on it as she ate.
“What’s you doing there lass?” Balin asked, sitting next to her.
“Nothing really.” She said.
“May I see?” Balin asked.
Y/n showed him what she had been working on. She loved to draw, and her designing had only helped her get better at it. On the paper she had drawn a simple rose coming out of the concrete.
“That’s quite beautiful lass. You’ve got a talent.” Balin said.
“Thanks.” Y/n said, rolling the picture up.
“You don’t talk a lot about where you’re from. Not a lot of good memories?” Balin asked her.
“No, there are good memories. I just, don’t really feel like talking.” Y/n said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. We’d all like to get to know you better. After all, it’s going to be quite a long journey to Erebor.” Balin said.
Y/n didn’t know what to say, so she just took a bite of soup.
Balin looked at her sadly. Since they had started their quest, she had hardly spoken. She just answered a few questions here and there. She had yet to even reveal what had happened to her for her to be injured. He noticed that she wasn’t comfortable around them, always seemed to be on her guard. He was pretty sure that they hadn’t done anything to warrant that reaction. He suddenly got an idea for her to open up.
“When I was on my first quest, I had gone with my father and uncles. When my father’s back was turned, my uncles convinced me to climb a tree and try to retrieve a beehive up in the branches.” Balin said.
Y/n looked at Balin.
“You didn’t climb the tree, did you?” Y/n asked.
“Aye, unfortunately I was naïve enough that I did.” Balin said.
Y/n eyes widened.
“My uncles told me that if I dowsed myself in the river first, that the bees wouldn’t sting me. But once I climbed up there, you’ll never hear that sound come out of me again.” Balin said, chuckling.
Y/n smiled.
“I fell out of that tree, and my father, hearing the commotion, came running back. He gave my uncles a talking to, then told me that it was a hard learned lesson to never listen to them. I couldn’t sit down for a week from all the bee stings.” Balin said.
Y/n snorted, unable to contain herself. Balin looked at her in surprise.
“So she does laugh! And snorts as well!” Balin said laughing.
Y/n smiled. It felt good to laugh again.
“I bet you can’t top that.” Balin told her.
“That’s nothing.” Y/n said.
“Oh really?” Well come on, spill the beans.” Balin said. It seems his plan was working.
“When I was a kid, me and my little sister were out shopping with our mom. We were goofing around, and I tripped, which ended up with about a hundred bottles of wine shattered on the floor. My mom was so mad!” Y/n said.
Balin’s jaw dropped.
“A hundred bottles? Oh dear.” Bailin said.
“Yup, and she had to pay for everything that broke.” Y/n said.
“You’re right, that topped my story.” Balin said laughing.
“Told ya.” Y/n said.
Thorin watched Balin and y/n talking. She was actually laughing. It seemed like Balin was able to get her to open up.
“Find something interesting?” Dwalin asked, sitting down next to Thorin.
“I’m frustrated with her.” Thorin said.
“How so?” Dwalin asked.
We’ve been traveling for two months together, and yet she seems just as wary of us as when we first started. We’ve done nothing to warrant that.” Thorin said.
“I’ve noticed. You don’t think, that has something to do with what happened to her?” Dwalin asked.
Thorin didn’t answer. He didn’t even want to think that way. Cause if she was hurt bad enough, that she’s still wary of them, even after weeks of traveling and them being nothing but kind to her, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
All of a sudden, Fili and Kili came running up to the group. Everyone looked at them.
“Fili, Kili, what’s going on?” Thorin said, standing up.
“Trolls. They already took several of the ponies. We sent Bilbo to follow them while we came and got you.” Kili said.
“You sent the hobbit on his own to go after trolls?” Thorin asked.
Fili and Kili didn’t answer. Thorin groaned.
“Everyone up! Let’s go take care of these trolls before they become more of a problem.” Thorin commanded.
Everyone stood up and grabbed their weapons. Thorin noticed that y/n was following Balin. He stopped her by grabbing her arm.
“Not you. You’re staying here.” Thorin said.
“But Bilbo needs help-“ She started to say.
“And you have no fighting experience and no weapon. Fighting trolls is not what you’re going to be doing. You’ll stay here where you’re safe.” Thorin said, dragging her back over to where she had been sitting.
Y/n ripped her arm out of his grasp.
“I’m a lot more capable than what you’re giving me credit.” She said, standing her ground.
He had a point that she had no experience, but she had spent two months being told that she was worthless and not capable of anything. She was kind of done with it.
“Don’t test me. You’re staying here out of the way. Because if you come along, you’re just going to be something that the trolls can use against us. Now sit, and stay. Understand?” Thorin growled, getting in her face.
Y/n didn’t say anything. Satisfied that he had finally gotten her to listen, he marched off with the others. He hadn’t expected her to stand up to him like that. It caught him off guard.
Y/n sat down silently. She knew she overstepped, but something had just built up inside of her. She only backed down because of how angry Thorin got. And he had a point.
Time passed and the dwarves weren’t back yet. The sky was starting to brighten slowly, and y/n was starting to get more and more worried. She paced back and forth, and thought about going and looking for them.
Something rustled in the bushes, and y/n grabbed a branch. She relaxed when she saw that it was Gandalf.
“For the love of, you scared me half to death!” She said.
“I’m sorry about that dear. Where are the others?” Gandalf asked.
“Fili and Kili said that trolls had taken some of the ponies, and the others went to take care of them. But that was a while ago. They haven’t been back.” Y/n said.
“Oh dear, they may have gotten themselves into trouble. I may have an idea.” Gandalf said.
“What is it?” Y/n asked.
“Trolls turn into stone when they are in sunlight. But dawn is still a little bit away. If we can find them, you can distract them long enough until dawn arrives.” Gandalf said.
“What? Distract, I’m not sure I can do that, ok, I’m not a center-of-attention type person.” Y/n said nervously.
“My dear, they may be in serious trouble. They need our help. And you can do it. I’ll be nearby if you need me.” Gandalf said.
“Ok. What will you be doing?” Y/n asked.
“Waiting for the sun to rise high enough. It’ll be best if they don’t know where everyone is. Now come on, let us go save our company.” Gandalf said.
Y/n ran after Gandalf as they made their way to where the trolls were. Gandalf directed y/n to go one way while he went another way. Y/n quietly made her way through the bushes, until she was behind a large stone. Next to the stone, some of the dwarves were piled one on top of another stuffed into bags. The others were tied to a spicket that turned slowly over a fire. The trolls were massive, and absolutely horrendous. They were arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to cook the dwarves.
Out of the corner of her eye y/n saw movement. She looked and saw that Bilbo was standing up.
“Wait!” Bilbo shouted, getting the trolls attention.
“You are making a terrible mistake!” Bilbo said.
“You can’t reason with ‘em, they’re half-wits!” Dori shouted from where he was tied on the spicket.
“Half-wits? What does that make us?” Bofur asked.
“I meant with the, uh, with the seasoning.” Bilbo said.
Y/n wondered where the heck he was going with this.
“What about the seasonings?” One of the trolls asked him.
“Well, have you smelt them? You’re going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up.” Bilbo said.
“Traitor!” Thorin shouted from where he was.
The others also started to shout at Bilbo, calling him all sorts of names.
“What do you know about cooking dwarf?” Another troll asked Bilbo.
“Shut up. Let the uh, flurgaburburhobbit talk.” The troll from before said.
“Uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is….” Bilbo stuttered.
“Yes? Come on.” The troll pressured.
“It’s uh….” Bilbo struggled to come up with something.
It was at that moment that y/n realized that Bilbo was trying to stall for time. She hoped he came up with something to say soon otherwise he might end up in the troll’s stomach.
“Yes, I’m telling you the secret is…” Bilbo paused for a second as he thought. “To skin them first!” He finally said.
Y/n face palmed. The dwarves started to shout even louder, some of them even threatening Bilbo.
“Tom, get me filleting knife.” The troll said, grinning.
“What a load of rubbish!” The second troll suddenly said.
“I’ve eaten plenty with their skins on. Scarf ‘em I say, boots and all.” The troll said.
“He’s right. Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf. Nice and crunchy.” The third troll said, picking Bombur up and dangling him over his mouth.
Just before the troll ate Bombur, y/n shouted from behind her rock.
“Not that one he’s infected!” She said the first thing that came to mind.
Everyone looked around for who said that. Bilbo was the first to notice her, and she signaled to him to come up with something else. Thorin noticed her as well and glared at her.
Bilbo got the message and quickly came up with something.
“Yeah, he’s got worms in his, tubes.” Bilbo said.
The troll dropped Bombur in disgust.
“In fact they all have. They’re infested with parasites. It’s a terrible business. I wouldn’t risk it, I really wouldn’t.” Bilbo said.
The dwarves started to argue with Bilbo. Thorin realized what he was trying to do and kicked the dwarf closest to him. Everyone got the message and started to talk about who had the biggest parasites.
The trolls looked at the dwarves and seemed to be second guessing their choice of meal. Y/n breathed a sigh of relief for she seemed to have bought them more time. She didn’t notice the second troll coming up behind her.
“What do we have here?” The troll said.
Y/n jumped and tried to run, but the troll grabbed her around the waist. The others finally realized that she was there and yelled at the troll to put her down.
“It’s another one! You think that she’s infected as well?” the third troll asked.
“I think that they are taking us for fools. I don’t think their infected at all.” The second troll said.
Y/n struggled to get out of the troll’s grip, but he was too strong.
“You put her down right now, or so help me!” Thorin shouted.
“You want me to put her down aye? Fine, I will.” The troll said, grinning.
Y/n didn’t like the look on his face, but before she could even register what he might do, she was suddenly falling. She hit the ground next to the dwarves, and she yelled in pain. She had tried to land on her feet, but now she realized that was a bad idea. Her left ankle was throbbing in pain.
“The dawn will take you all!” Gandalf suddenly shouted.
He appeared out of nowhere and stood on top of a huge boulder.
“Who’s that?” The second troll asked.
“No idea.” The first troll said.
“Can we eat him too?” the third troll asked.
Gandalf slammed the end of his staff into the boulder, causing it to split in half and sunlight to spill out from behind it. The trolls started to yell in pain as they started to turn into stone. After they stopped moving, it was silent. Then the dwarves started to cheer.
Gandalf climbed down from the rock, and he and y/n started to help the dwarves get out of the bags. It hurt to stand on her leg. She was pretty sure that she twisted it pretty badly. After all the dwarves were released, she sat down on a rock while Gandalf, Thorin, and a couple others went to investigate a cave they believed that the trolls had used during the day. Oin walked over to her.
“You hit the ground pretty hard lass. Why don’t you let me take a look at your leg?” He asked.
She nodded her head and allowed him to look at her foot. The others exited the cave, and Thorin walked over to her.
“Y/n come here.” He said.
Y/n stood up, winking in pain. She walked over to him.
“Yes?” she asked.
“This is for you. You need something to defend yourself with. We can help you learn how to use it.” Thorin said.
He handed her a small, thin sword. She unsheathed it. It was beautiful.
“Thank you.” She said.
“I told you to stay where you were safe. Why didn’t you listen?” He asked her.
“Gandalf needed my help to distract the trolls.” She simply said.
“You weren’t hurt when you fell, were you?” Thorin asked.
“Not badly. I’m fine.” She said.
Before she had a chance to chicken out, she spoke up.
“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time earlier. I don’t know what came over me.” She said.
Before he could respond, she walked away and sat down between Fili and Kili, leaving Thorin standing there. He was not expecting her to apologize. He watched her with his nephews. They asked her over and over again if she was alright, and she kept telling them that she was fine. He knew that she was lying. He had seen her limping. He realized it had probably taken a huge chunk of her pride when she apologized. He didn’t know why she hid that she was hurt.
Suddenly, they heard something coming towards them in the bushes. They grabbed their weapons, and rushed to meet it. Thorin kept an eye on y/n, making sure that she was alright and nearby.
“Thieves! Fire! Murder!” Someone shouted.
A tall man in brown came bursting out of the bushes. He was riding a sleigh that seemed to be pulled by huge rabbits. Y/n raised an eyebrow at his appearance. Was that bird poop on his head?
“Radagast. It’s Radagast the Brown.” Gandalf said, sheathing a sword she didn’t recognize. Y/n realized that he must’ve gotten it from the caves.
Everyone relaxed when they saw that this was a friend of Gandalf’s.
“What on earth are you doing here?” Gandalf asked him.
“I was looking for you, Gandalf. Somethings wrong. Somethings terribly wrong.” Radagast said.
“Yes?” Gandalf asked.
Radagast started to say something, but looked like he was struggling with finding the right words.
“Just give me a minute.” Radagast said.
He started to get frustrated with himself.
“Oh! I had a thought and now I’ve lost it. It was right there on the tip of my tongue.” Radagast said.
Then he got a look on his face. He stuck his tongue out, and Gandalf pulled a stick insect out of his mouth. Y/n almost gagged.
“Oh, it’s not a thought at all. It’s a silly old stick insect.” Radagast said.
Gandalf placed the stick insect in his hand.
“Well, uh, why don’t we step away for a moment to talk, Radagast?” Gandalf asked, wiping his hands on his cloak.
Gandalf walked away and Radagast followed him. The others sat down where they were. Y/n rubbed her foot.
“Dear God, give me patience.” She said under her breath.
“What was that?” Fili asked.
Y/n looked up to see Fili and Kili standing over her. They sat down on either side of her.
“I was just saying a short prayer to give me a moral boost.” Y/n said.
“Oh, you pray to Mahal? That’s pretty cool!” Kili said.
“I don’t know who Mahal is. I guess I have a different God than you.” Y/n said.
“Oh, well, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yours y/n?” Fili asked.
“Ok, um, we call Him our Heavenly Father. At the beginning of time, He created everything. Then about two thousand years ago, He sent His Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us all. He took upon Him all the sins and pains of everyone, and died on the cross. He died so we would have a chance to be saved from Hell. People in my religion do our best to follow His example and His commandments.” Y/n told them.
“Wait, how did a son of a god die? Wouldn’t he be too powerful?” Kili asked.
“He was powerful. He wouldn’t have otherwise been able to rise from the dead three days later. He was born to a virgin by the power of Heavenly Father. He chose to suffer and die for us because that’s how much he loves us.” Y/n explained.
“What are some of His commandments?” Fili asked.
“Well, there are the Ten commandments, which, in my view, are kind of like the basics. The first one is, ‘you shall have no other gods before me.’ The second, ‘you shall not make false idols.’ The third, ‘you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.’ The fourth, ‘keep the Sabbath day holy.’ The fifth, ‘honor you father and you mother.’ The sixth, ‘you shall not kill.’ The seventh, ‘thou shalt not commit adultery.’ The eighth, ‘thou shalt not steal.’ The ninth, ‘thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’ And the tenth, ‘thou shalt not covet.’” Y/n told them.
Fili and Kili were interested in everything that she was telling them.
“Are there any others?” Kili asked.
“Yeah. We have the Word of Wisdom, which basically tells us what is or isn’t safe to put in our bodies. If you want to look at it this way, all the commandments that God gives us, are basically guidelines to keep us safe and healthy. We have a choice whether or not to follow them, but they are there to keep us on the right path.” Y/n said.
“Wow, that’s fascinating. It sounds like it’s easy to follow them.” Kili said.
“Not always. People are stubborn and get it in their own heads that they know better than God. Our own pride gets in the way a lot of times.” Y/n said.
“What do you do with those people?” Fili asked.
“Let them live their own lives. Jesus said that we all need to love each other like He loves us. Our choices are our own to make. We will all deal with the consequences of them someday.” Y/n said. She grew thoughtful and rubbed the spot on her shoulder where her scar was.
“Hey y/n, you alright? You got quiet all of a sudden.” Fili said.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Y/m said.
“Where did you get that locket?” a voice from behind her asked.
Y/n turned and saw that Thorin was standing behind her. She didn’t realize that he had been listening.
“My step-father Brandon gave it to me for my birthday.” She said.
“You never take it off. Does it have a special meaning?” Thorin asked her.
“Yeah. It does. He passed away a few months ago.” She said quietly.
“Miss, we’re so sorry to hear that.” Fili said.
“How did he die?” Kili asked.
“He had a lot of health complications. He eventually had a heart-attack.” Y/n said.
“I’m sure he was a good man for him to have gained favor in your heart.” Thorin said.
Y/n fought back tears. It still hurt a lot to think about Brandon.
“What do you think Gandalf and Radagast are talking about?” Kili asked.
“No clue, but it sounds serious.” Fili said.
Fili and Kili started to talk back and forth, and y/n drowned them out. She didn’t notice when Thorin sat down next to her.
“What happened to you?” Thorin asked.
She jumped a little and turned to him.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“You were injured when you came to us. What happened?” Thorin said.
“Nothing.” Y/n said. She turned away from him.
“Don’t nothing me. Something happened. As leader of this company, it is my job to protect the people in my charge. We know nothing about you, which makes you a liability. I won’t ask again.” Thorin said.
“And I’ll say the same thing again. Nothing. And even if something did, it’s none of your business. Can you just leave it alone?” Y/n said.
She got up and tried to walk away, but Thorin grabbed her arm.
“I will not leave it alone. We’ve been nothing but kind to you, yet you still act as if one of us is about to do something.” Thorin growled. He didn’t mean to come off as so gruff, but he was getting frustrated with the whole situation, and wanted to know what happened. His imagination was running wild with thoughts of what happened to her, and it all scared him.
“That is not my intention. Can’t you just accept that there are some things that people don’t want to talk about? Please, just leave me alone.” Y/n said.
She was starting to feel overwhelmed, and she could feel a panic attack starting.
All of a sudden, something in the distance howled.
“Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?” Bilbo asked nervously.
“Wolves? No, that is not a wolf.” Bofur said, sounding scared.
Y/n looked up and behind Bofur coming out of the bushes, was a giant wolf-like creature. A twig snapped underneath it and everyone turned around. It lunged itself at Bofur, knocking him down. Before it could get its jaws around Bofur, Thorin took his sword and sliced through the creatures neck, killing it instantly. Thorin’s sword got stuck in its neck, and at the worst time as well. For another one came running up behind Thorin.
“Kili!” Dwalin shouted.
Kili took his bow and shot an arrow at the creature, causing it to run into a tree. Dwalin finished it off by bashing its skull in.
“Warg scouts. Which means an orc pack is not far behind.” Thorin said, finally taking his sword out of the wargs neck.
“Orc pack?” Bilbo asked.
“Oh that can’t be good.” Y/n said.
“Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?” Gandalf asked Thorin.
“No one.” Thorin answered.
“Who did you tell?!” Gandalf asked, shouting this time.
“No one, I swear!” Thorin said.
Gandalf was silent as he seemed to be thinking.
“What in Durin’s name is going on?” Thorin asked Gandalf.
“You are being hunted.” Gandalf said.
Y/n felt her stomach drop and last night’s meal suddenly didn’t taste too good.
“We have to get out of here.” Dwalin said.
“We can’t! we have no ponies! They bolted!” Nori said as he came running back to the group.
“I’ll draw them off.” Radagast said.
“These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you.” Gandalf said.
“These are Rhosgobel rabbits.” Radagast said.
Everyone got silent.
“I’d like to see them try.” Radagast said with a smile.
“Very well. Do not let them catch you.” Gandalf said.
He turned to the dwarves.
Alright everyone. When Radagast has drawn them away, we make a break for it. Stay close together.” Gandalf said.
Everyone started to follow Gandalf. Y/n could see out of the corner of her eye that Thorin was trying to make his way towards her, so she positioned herself next to Bilbo. They waited for Radagast to draw the pack away. He burst out of the trees on his sleigh, shouting and making as much noise as he could. It worked, and the orcs riding the wargs chased after him. The company ran out of the trees as well, running the opposite direction. More orcs on wargs appeared and chased after Radagast, and they caused him to change his direction multiple times. The company hid behind a rock, and waited until the pack was a certain distance away.
Gandalf peaked his head from behind the rock to make sure that they were safe to move.
“Come on.” He said.
He led the way and everyone followed him. They dodged behind rocks and ran as fast as they could as Radagast distracted the pack. Because there were so many, they kept flanking him, so he had to change directions multiple times. Which made it difficult for the company, for at one point Radagast ended up leading the pack directly in front of where the company was running, causing them to turn around and run the other way.
“Stay together.” Gandalf said.
“Move!” Thorin shouted.
Y/n struggled to keep up with the group. Her ankle was hurting so badly. She tripped and almost ended up landing on her face. Bilbo caught her arm and prevented her from falling.
They ran behind a rock, and Thorin stopped just before he came out from behind the rock. Everyone else stopped behind him except Nori, who Thorin grabbed. And just in the nick of time. The orc pack ran by, and if Thorin hadn’t stopped Nori, he would’ve been in plain sight.
When it was clear, Thorin directed the company to keep moving forward. As Y/n ran by him, she heard him talking to Gandalf.
“Where are you leading us?” Thorin asked him.
Gandalf didn’t answer, and followed behind everyone else.
They continued running, until the pack ran in front of them again. They hid and crouched behind a giant rock. She didn’t know how, but she ended up pressed against Thorin, with Kili on her other side.
As they stayed hidden, an orc on a warg jumped up on top of the rock where they were hiding. It sniffed the air. Y/n was afraid that it was going to find them.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thorin nodding his head towards Kili. Kili nocked an arrow, then stepped out of hiding and shot the warg. The orc tried reaching for his horn, but Kili shot another arrow, causing the warg to fall off the rock. Dwalin, Bifur, and Thorin lunged at the orc, hitting it and the warg with their weapons.
Once they were both dead, everything fell silent. There were no sounds, not even from the orc pack chasing Radagast. Then out of the silence, some harsh voice started to shout in a language that y/n didn’t recognize. Then the air was filled as the orc pack began to chase down a new prey.
“Move! Run!” Gandalf shouted, taking off. Everyone followed behind him.
They ran across open plains and over hills, desperation fueling their feet. All the while, the sounds of the pack got closer and closer.
“There they are!” Gloin shouted, pointing off into the distance.
Everyone stopped as they saw that the pack was coming closer into view. Y/n struggled to catch her breath. It felt as if they had been running forever, and her ankle felt as if it was on fire. Bilbo looked at her, but before he could say anything, Gandalf shouted at the company to quickly follow him.
They followed Gandalf until they came to a small clearing filled with large stones. The orc pack topped they hills surrounding them, and the company stopped in its tracks.
“There’s more coming!” Kili shouted.
“Kili! Shoot them!” Thorin shouted to his nephew.
“We’re surrounded!” Fili shouted.
The company quickly packed together, and took a stance. It was clear that now they had no option but to fight. But it didn’t seem as if the odds were in their favor.
Y/n held unto her sword tightly with both hands, but she was shaking. She couldn’t even put any weight on her ankle, it hurt so much. Bilbo stood next to her, looking terrified.
Kili was doing his best to take as many orcs down with his arrows before they got any closer. One by one, orcs fell to the ground, but it was only making a small dent in the numbers of the pack.
“Where’s Gandalf?” Dori asked.
Y/n looked around. Gandalf was nowhere to be found. It seemed as if the wizard had just vanished!
“He’s abandoned us!” Dwalin shouted.
Y/n felt a sinking sensation in her stomach.
“I hope that isn’t true.” Bilbo said.
Nori used his slingshot to try and take a warg down, but the stone just bounced off its head, and the orc laughed.
“Hold your ground!” Thorin shouted, brandishing his sword.
Y/n looked over at him and saw something that surprised her. He looked nervous. She never pictured Thorin as someone who got nervous. A shining light caught her eye, and she realized that Thorin’s sword was glowing blue. She then looked at hers and Bilbo swords, and saw that they were also glowing.
Before she could think any further on the subject, Gandalf popped his head out from behind a large stone.
“This way you fools!” Gandalf shouted, getting everyone’s attention.
He disappeared back behind the stone. Thorin raced over to where Gandalf was and stood on top of the stone.
“Quickly! All of you!” Thorin shouted.
The company began to race over to where Thorin was, jumping and then disappearing behind the stone. Y/n realized that there must be some kind of hidden passage behind the stone.
Y/n was struggling to keep up with the others. Bilbo, who was far ahead of her at one point, came racing back to her.
“Bilbo, what are you doing? You were almost there!” Y/n rasped.
“I wasn’t going to leave you behind.” Bilbo said.
He grabbed her arm, and helped her towards the stone. They were almost there when y/n saw a warg sneaking up behind Thorin.
“Behind you!” Y/n shouted at Thorin.
The warg lunged, but y/n had warned Thorin just in time. He turned and cut the warg down. Bilbo and y/n made it to the stone, and despite his protests, y/n convinced Bilbo to go down first. As she climbed up, Thorin grabbed her arm, helping her. He then helped her down, letting her go so she could slide the rest of the way down. She landed on her foot, and she cried out in pain. She clutched her foot, fighting back tears.
Dwalin and Gloin came over to her, and they helped her out of the way so the others who slid down wouldn’t crash into her. Just as they moved her, Fili and Kili came sliding down. They were soon followed by Thorin, who came down last.
He was about to walk over to her when they heard a horn. But it sounded different from the orcs horn. Soon, sounds of a fight followed, and the orcs were crying out in pain. An orc fell down the hole, and the whole company stood ready to fight. They poked at the fallen orc with their weapons, and they found it dead.
Y/n looked up. It sounded like the orcs were being chased off. She looked back at the orc as Thorin pulled an arrow out of its neck. He looked at it with disgust.
“Elves.” Was all he said. He threw the arrow down.
“I cannot see where the pathway leads! Do we follow it or no?!” Dwalin shouted from where he had wandered down the path to.
“Follow it of course!” Bofur said, making his way over to Dwalin. The rest of the company began to follow.
“I think that would be wise.” Gandalf said.
Balin walked over to where Bilbo and y/n was, and with Bilbo helped her up.
“You alright lass? Will you be able to walk on your own?” Balin asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Y/n grunted.
Balin didn’t look convinced.
“If I need to, I can lean against the walls for support.” Y/n told him. It seemed to ease his worries.
“Alright lass, just let us know if you need help.” Balin said.
He walked off, and y/n and Bilbo followed the company, with Gandalf right behind them.
They walked for hours. They stopped every once and a while for water breaks. Bilbo asked y/n if she wanted to sit down, but she knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to stand back up. At some points, it was so narrow that she was afraid that they were going to get stuck. Especially when Bombur had to squeeze through. But somehow, they kept going.
Thorin was several spaces ahead of where y/n and Bilbo was, and he wanted to run to walk with y/n to keep and eye on her. But unfortunately the path was so narrow that he wouldn’t be able to squeeze past the dwarves between him and her. So he settled with just listening in. he knew she was lying about her ankle. When he turned he could see that she wasn’t putting any weight on it and relying on the walls so support her.
As they continued on, y/n and Bilbo looked up at the sun shining down at them. All of a sudden, y/n got a funny feeling. She was about to ask Gandalf about it, but Bilbo spoke up first.
“Gandalf, where are we?” Bilbo asked.
Bilbo and y/n stopped to look back at Gandalf.
“You can feel it?” Gandalf asked.
“Yes. Uh…. It feels like…… well like magic.” Bilbo said.
“That’s exactly what it is. A very powerful magic.” Gandalf said.
“There’s light ahead.” They heard Gloin said.
Y/n and Bilbo turned away from Gandalf and continued to follow the others. They kept walking until they reached an opening in the path. As they exited, Gandalf finally told them where they were.
“The Valley of Imladris. In the common tongue, it’s known by another name.” Gandalf said.
“Rivendell.” Bilbo said.
Y/n couldn’t believe her eyes. The cliff on which they stood overlooked the most beautiful sight that y/n had ever seen. Beautiful, majestic buildings stood over crystal clear water, with waterfalls feeding into them. The very air seemed almost clearer.
“Here lies the last homely house east of the sea.” Gandalf said.
Thorin walked up to where Gandalf, Bilbo and y/n stood.
“This was your plan all along. To seek refuge with our enemy.” Thorin said.
“You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself.” Gandalf said.
Bilbo got a funny look on his face as he looked at Thorin.
“You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us.” Thorin said.
“Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered.” Gandalf said.
Gandalf took a deep breath before continuing.
“If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact. And respect. And no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me.” Gandalf said.
“Very well. But I am not pleased with this.” Thorin said. Y/n thought to herself, when are you ever pleased? He turned and walked off to lead the company towards Rivendell. A few of the dwarves grumbled their disapproval, but followed their leader willingly.
Y/n struggled on the rocky terrain. They had made it partway down the path when she tripped. She bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out in pain. Everyone stopped when they saw that she had fallen.
“Oh no, y/n! Here, let us help you.” Nori said.
Y/n was about to say that she was fine, when suddenly someone picked her up. She was extremely surprised to find that it was Thorin. She opened her mouth, but he cut her off before she could say anything.
“Don’t even think about saying you’re fine. You think I didn’t see how you were limping and could barely stand? The only reason I didn’t do anything before was because that path was to narrow.” Thorin said.
Y/n clamped her mouth shut and decided that this is one argument that she shouldn’t start.
They continued walking for about half an hour until they came to a bridge that led into Rivendell. They entered the courtyard, and Thorin finally set her down on her feet. Bilbo came up to her and offered his arm for her to lean on. The dwarves gathered together, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Y/n looked up, and an incredibly tall man was descending the staircase.
“Mithrandir!” he said.
Everyone turned to look at the Elf.
“Ah, Lindir.” Gandalf said. He approached Lindir.
“Stay sharp.” Y/n heard Thorin whisper to Dwalin.
Lindir said something to Gandalf in what y/n assumed to be the Elvish language.
“I must speak with Lord Elrond.” Gandalf responded in English.
“My Lord Elrond is not here.” Lindir said.
“Not here? Where is he?” Gandalf asked.
Lindir got a funny look in his eye just before horns sounded in the distance. Y/n realized that those were the same horns that they had heard before. Everyone turned to see who was coming.
As the Elves on horseback got closer, the dwarves got more nervous.
Thorin shouted something in dwarvish.
“Close ranks!” he shouted in English.
She and Bilbo were grabbed and put in the middle of the group. She ended up being put between Dwalin and Thorin.
The Elves entered the courtyard and circled the dwarves, forcing them to huddle even closer. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they stopped.
“Gandalf!” the elf riding the only black horse said.
“Lord Elrond.” Gandalf greeted.
Gandalf then said something in Elvish. Lord Elrond responded back. Y/n wished that she had followed through with the idea of learning the different Middle Earth languages that she had had several years ago.
Lord Elrond dismounted his horse, then embraced Gandalf.
“Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near.” Lord Elrond said. The way he said it, it sounded like he already knew who it was.
“Ah, that may have been us.” Gandalf said.
He turned towards the company. Thorin stepped forward.
“Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain.” Lord Elrond said.
“I do not believe we have met.” Thorin said.
“You have your grandfathers bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain.” Lord Elrond said.
“Indeed. He made no mention of you.” Thorin said.
Y/n thought that was a little rude on Thorin’s part.
There was a moment of silence. Then Lord Elrond began to say something to them in Elvish.
“What is he sayin?” Gloin asked when Lord Elrond had finished speaking.
“Does he offer us insult?!” Gloin shouted, and the other dwarves started to get upset.
“No, Master Gloin, he’s offering you food.” Gandalf said.
If y/n didn’t know any better, it almost looked like Lord Elrond was trying to not smile.
At Gandalf’s words, the dwarves huddle together to talk. Once they were finished, Gloin spoke for the group.
“Ah, well, in that case lead on.” Gloin said.
Before the group could start to follow Lindir, Bilbo spoke up.
“Do you have a healer?” Bilbo asked.
Everyone turned to look at him.
“I am sorry, what was that?” Lord Elrond asked.
“I, well, um, uh, do you have a healer? I’ve heard, that, uh, Elves are magnificent healers. Able to heal just about anything.” Bilbo said nervously. He clearly didn’t like having all the attention on him.
“Yes, I do have a healer here. To what purpose do you ask?” Lord Elrond asked.
“Our friend here, she was injured.” Bilbo said, gesturing towards y/n.
When the company realized who he was talking about, they surrounded y/n, blocking her from the Elves view. Balin placed a hand on her shoulder. Their action surprised her. Were they, protective of her?
“Of course. We’d be more than willing to help.” Lord Elrond said.
“How do we know that you won’t make her worse?” Thorin asked accusingly.
“May I ask you this? For what reason would I have to bring more harm upon your friend? You have my word as a lord that no harm shall befall her as long as she is here.” Lord Elrond said.
Balin walked up to Thorin.
“I don’t think it would be a bad idea to let them help her. We lost all of our medical supplies when we lost the ponies. We don’t really have an option if we want her to be well enough to travel.” Balin said.
Everyone was silent was they waited for Thorin’s answer.
“Very well.” He finally said.
Thorin walked over to y/n, and the dwarves parted to let him through. He picked her up, and he, Bilbo, and Gandalf followed Lord Elrond while all the others followed Lindir. Lord Elrond led them into a room with a very comfortable looking bed, a simple bath, and open windows all around the room.
Thorin placed her on the bed, and Lord Elrond asked for the healer to be brought to the room.
“She’ll be well taken care of here. I’ll have someone take you to your quarters so you can freshen up for dinner.” Lord Elrond said.
“I’d rather stay here to make sure for myself that she’s being taken care of.” Thorin said.
“Thorin, you can trust that she’ll be in good hands. There is nothing to fear here.” Gandalf said.
Strangely enough, y/n didn’t want to be left alone. For some reason she felt safer with Thorin there. But she knew that he wouldn’t let the healer do what he needed to do if he stayed. So, she decided to speak up.
“I’ll be fine Thorin. You don’t need to stay.” Y/n said.
Thorin looked at her.
“See Thorin, you have no need to worry. Now, why don’t we leave so the healer can do what she needs to do?” Gandalf said.
He began to guide Thorin out of the room.
“Only if the hobbit stays with her.” Thorin stated.
“Uh, well,” Gandalf began to say.
“I won’t mind staying with y/n.” Bilbo said.
“Very well. Now that it is settled, I’ll have you escorted to your quarters, and the healer shall be here shortly.” Lord Elrond said.
Gandalf and Thorin left, and Bilbo sat down next to y/n.
“How are you feeling? And don’t say fine, cause we both know that is obviously not true.” Bilbo said.
Y/n smiled at Bilbo.
“Honestly, I’ve been worse. I’ll bounce back from this, and I’ll be alright.” Y/n said.
“Worse than this. I don’t want to think about that.” Bilbo said.
Bilbo stared out the window, and started to zone out. Y/n decided to poke his arm, which startled him out of his trance.
“What was that for?” Bilbo asked.
“You looked like you were lost in another world for a second there, and because I could.” Y/n said.
Bilbo chuckled.
“I am glad to see you in a better mood than when you first arrived.” Bilbo said. He looked like he wanted to say something else.
“What?” She asked him.
“Y/n, what happened? You were really hurt when you arrived. And I see the way you are around us. You’re, wary, you flinch, and don’t think I haven’t noticed the nightmares. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m worried.” Bilbo told her.
Y/n looked at him in silence. She should’ve known people would notice how jumpy she was. She looked away from Bilbo and sighed.
They sat in silence for several minutes until she spoke up.
“I appreciate that you’re worried about me Bilbo. But I don’t want to talk about it. It’s my burden to bear.” She finally said.
Bilbo was about to respond, but before he could, an Elf maid walked into the room.
“Hello miss. My name is Alvina. I am the healer that Lord Elrond has sent for.” The Elf maid said.
“Hi, I’m y/n.” she said.
Alvina walked over to the table next to where Bilbo and y/n was sitting and set her supplies down. She turned back to y/n.
“Now, what is your injury?” Alvina asked.
“I injured my right ankle.” y/n said.
Alvina got to work and started to inspect her ankle. When she started to take off her boot, y/n wanted to scream. But she bit it back and let Alvina work. When she saw her foot, she thought that she was looking at a kaleidoscope. The skin on her foot was all different shades of purple, yellow, red and green. It was so swollen, it looked to be the size of a football. Alvina quickly began to mix a bunch of different herbs and spices together into a bowl, adding some kind of liquid into the bowl as she mixed. Once it had turned into a paste, she scooped a portion out, and began to rub it onto her foot. As she did so, she began to chant in the Elvish tongue.
As she did so, y/n got a strange feeling all up and down her leg. It felt like she was being zapped with electricity, but it wasn’t painful.
After a couple minutes, Alvina stopped chanting and removed her hands. The electricity feeling also went away, and all that remained was a buzzing sensation where the paste remained on her foot. Alvina took a wet towel, and removed the paste, the buzzing leaving as well.
Once all the paste was gone, y/n’s  jaw dropped when she saw her foot. It was back to its normal color, and all the swelling was gone.
“Wha-, bu-, how?” Bilbo exclaimed next to her.
“Our healing practices go back thousands and thousands of years. Passed down so we may aid others in our skills.” Alvina said, grabbing a small bottle. She poured the liquid into her hand, and rubbed it into y/n’s foot. The liquid had a faint smell that remind y/n of cinnamon.
“Your ankle will continue to hurt slightly until tomorrow morning. It will be completely healed by then.” Alvina said as she wrapped y/n’s foot in a bandage.
Once she finished with that she began to clean up and put things away. Before she left, she turned to y/n and Bilbo.
“Someone will be here shortly to show you to your quarters.” She told them. She walked out, leaving Bilbo and y/n alone.
Y/n grabbed her shoe and put it back on.
“I have never, in my life, seen anything like that.” Bilbo said.
“I didn’t think anything like that was even possible.” y/n said.
“I don’t understand why Thorin dislikes them so much. They are incredibly kind and good natured. And very nice mannered.” Bilbo said, adding the last part quietly.
Y/n felt like she should know, but unfortunately, due to what Gandalf called, the ballowing, she didn’t.
“I don’t know. But then again, I don’t think it takes much to get on his bad side.” Y/n said.
Bilbo looked like he was about to say something, then stopped as he seemed to be thinking. He then nodded his head in agreement with what y/n had said.
At that moment an Elf walked in to show them to their rooms. Y/n and Bilbo got up and followed him.  Y/n was expecting her leg to be on fire, but the pain was so slight she hardly even noticed it.
They followed the Elf until they came to a set of doors. He turned to y/n.
“This is your room miss.” He said. He opened the door for her to enter.
“Thank you.” She said. She walked inside while the Elf took Bilbo to his room. She closed the door behind her, and looked around.
The room was spacious, with two walls with open windows looking out. There was a comfortable looking bed off to one side of the room, with two nightstands next to it. There was a table in the center of the room with some chairs, and a bookcase on the wall opposite of the bed and a vanity. There were floor to ceiling white curtains that draped the windows, which moved softly in the breeze. Y/n noticed a door, and opened it to investigate.
On the other side of the door was a bathroom. There was a large inground bathtub, and it looked to be made out of pearl. Several shear curtains surrounded the tub, giving an appearance of privacy. Next to the tub were shelves and shelves of different perfumes, lotions and washes.
Y/n heard the door to her room open and she quickly went and investigated. When she exited the bathroom, she saw two Elf maids standing in the room.
“Hello, how may I help you?” Y/n asked warily.
“Hello miss. We’re here to help you get ready for dinner later in the evening.” The taller one spoke first.
“Help me how?” Y/n asked.
“To help you bathe and get dressed of course.” The shorter one said.
“No thank you, I am perfectly capable of doing that myself. There is no need for you to help.” Y/n said.
“It will be no trouble at all miss. You are our guest here. We are happy to help you.” The short one said.
“I appreciate that, but I am not comfortable having people help me bath or get dressed.” Y/n insisted.
“Of course, we don’t want to make you uncomfortable. We will fetch some different clothes for you.” The tall one said.

“If you need any help, we will be right outside.” The short one said.
They left the room, and y/n breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that they had given up on helping her bathe. Not only was she not at all comfortable with the idea of someone seeing her naked, she did not want the questions she knew they would have if they saw her scars.
She waited until they had brought some clothes for her to choose from. They left the clothes with her, then left. She shifted through them until she found something she liked. She then took them to the bathroom, and grabbed a chair from the other room to put in front of the door to stop anyone from coming in. she managed to figure out how to turn the water on, and turned it to a temperature she liked. While the tub filled, she picked out a couple of washes to use. Once the tub was filled, she turned off the water, and reluctantly undressed. She was glad there wasn’t a mirror. She didn’t want to see how horrendous she looked. She sank into the water and let out a moan of ecstasy. Oh, it felt soooo good to take a bath! Y/n just sat in the water for a good while, enjoying the hot water and the quiet. The water soothed her muscles, and for the first time in a while, she relaxed. She was alone, no one was watching her, she didn’t have to hide.
Y/n felt the tears building up behind her eyes, and she let them fall. She knew no one would see them. She cried and cried until she had exhausted herself. Once she stopped crying, she quickly washed herself, then got out of the tub. After putting on a lotion, she got dressed. She had chosen a pair of dark brown pants, and paired it with a burgundy colored blouse. She tied a belt around her waist, then once she was all done, she exited the bathroom. She went over to the vanity, and sat down. She picked up one of the brushes, and ran it through her y/h/c hair. She was interrupted by someone knocking at her door. She got up and went and answered it. She was surprised to see Thorin standing on the other side.
“Hi, may I help you?” She asked quietly and uncertainly.
Thorin opened his mouth but nothing came out at first. He had been on edge the past couple hours while he waited to hear news on y/n’s condition. As soon as he had heard that she was finished with the healer and was in her room, he had immediately gone and looked for her. But he made the mistake of not asking where her room was first. But he was too proud to ask, so he just spent the next hour wandering Rivendale until he found her room. Now that he was standing in front of her, he had no idea what to say. He felt immense relief seeing that she was standing on her own and she wasn’t in pain. And something about her standing there with her hair down and all wet, in the burgundy shirt that looked good against her skin, made him feel something in a funny way.
He realized he was just standing there staring at her, so he quickly got his thoughts back together.
“I came to make sure the Elves didn’t hurt you any worse.” Thorin said gruffly.
“No, my ankle is completely fine. Doesn’t even hurt anymore.” Y/n said quietly.
They stood there in awkward silence, not knowing what to say.
“Are you almost ready? Dinner is about ready.” Thorin said, breaking the silence.
“Uh, yes, I’m almost ready.” Y/n said.
“When you’re ready I’ll escort to where the others have gathered.” Thorin said.
Y/n didn’t know what she thought about that.
“It’s easy to get lost in a place like this.” Thorin added.
“Oh, uh, ok. I’ll be out in a couple minutes then.” Y/n said. She closed the door and just stood there awkwardly.
On the other side of the door, Thorin stood awkwardly, not sure what to do. He was uncomfortable because the last time he had talked to y/n, he had in a way shouted at her. He doubted she was very happy to see him after that. He knew he should probably apologize, but his pride wouldn’t let him.
After several minutes, y/n’s door opened, and she exited. She had brushed her hair and had put it in a simple braid. She closed the door behind her and looked at him. He didn’t say anything, but gestured for her to follow him. He started down the hallway. She matched his stride and they walked side by side in silence.
Eventually they arrived at a large outdoor area, with chairs at one table and cushions at another. The company was already seated on the cushions, laughing and joking around. Gandalf and Lord Elrond stood next to the other table, deep in conversation. They looked up when Thorin and y/n joined them.
“Thorin, glad of you to join us.” Lord Elrond said. He turned to y/n.
“And miss y/n, it is a pleasure to have you here. I am glad to see the healer has done her work.” Lord Elrond said.
“Thank you.” Y/n said.
Lord Elrond smiled. “Please, everyone, sit.” He said.
The four of them took their seats. Y/n end up sitting between Thorin and Lord Elrond.
“It is kind of you to invite us. Not really dressed for dinner.” Gandalf said.
“Well, you never are.” Lord Elrond said.
The two of them chuckled.
Servants began to bring out platters of food and setting them in front of the company. An Elf maid played a tune on a harp. The dwarves got excited when they saw the platters, but got disappointed when they saw that it was all vegetable options. They began to grumble quietly, asking where the meat was and if there were any chips.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kili staring at the Elf maid playing the harp. He winked at her, which didn’t go unnoticed by Dwalin. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but a short while later, the dwarves were roaring with laughter while Kili looked embarrassed.
Y/n’s attention was brought back to her table when Gandalf handed the blades he and Thorin had acquired in the troll cave. Lord Elrond picked up Thorin’s and inspected it.
“This is Orcrist, The Goblin-Cleaver. A famous blade. Forged by the High Elves of the West. My kin.” Lord Elrond handed the sword to Thorin.
“May it serve you well.” Elrond said.
Thorin nodded his head in thanks.
Elrond picked up Gandalf’s sword.
“And this is Glamdring. The FoeHammer. Sword of the king of Gondolin. These swords were made for the Goblin Wars of the First Age.” Elrond said. He looked at Gandalf.
“How did you come by these?” Elrond asked Gandalf.
“We found them in a troll-hoard on the Great East Road. Shortly before we were ambushed by orcs.” Gandalf said, chewing his food.
Thorin gave him a warning glare.
“And what were you doing on the Great East Road?” Elrond asked him. He had a look on his face like he already knew.
Gandalf didn’t say anything. y/n just stared at her plate of food.
“Excuse me.” Thorin said. He stood up from the table and walked off.
“Gandalf what are you up to.” Elrond said. It didn’t sound like he was asking a question to y/n.
“Thirteen dwarves and a halfling. Strange traveling companions Gandalf.” Elrond said taking a sip of wine.
“These are the descendants of the house of Durin. They’re noble, decent folk.” Gandalf said.
Y/n raised her eyebrow at that. Weren’t one of the dwarves currently stuffing some goblets into his coat right now?
“And they’re surprisingly cultured.” Gandalf continued. “They got a deep love of the arts.”
“I am sure they do Gandalf.” Elrond said.
“But then there is also the matter of your fifteenth companion.” Elrond said. He turned to y/n, who looked up from her food.
“You are neither dwarf nor halfling. You are human.” Elrond said.
“Yes, Yes I am.” She said nervously.
“I take it she is the result of the recent shifting that happened several weeks ago?” Elrond asked Gandalf.
“Yes, she is. She arrived the night the company first gathered before we began the quest.” Gandalf said.
“I see.” Elrond said. He turned back to y/n.
“I am sorry that this has happened my dear. There is nothing we can do to prevent these shifting’s from happening. It is one of the many natures of the multiverse. You are fortunate to have met safe company upon your arrival.” Elrond said.
“Yeah, I’m pretty glad about that too.” Y/n said.
Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion at the dwarves table. Bofur was standing on the table. He began to stomp his feet and sing some song about a cat and the fiddle. The other dwarves joined in. They started to throw food at each other and laughed.
It was horribly offkey, there was food everywhere, it was loud and chaotic. But all of it, made y/n feel good. She didn’t know what it was, but something about the way they were all laughing, and just having fun, made y/n feel a little less homesick.
Out of nowhere someone threw a potato, almost hitting y/n in the head, but it ended up hitting the face of the statue right next to Lindir’s head. The dwarves laughed harder. It was so funny, that y/n let out a little squeaky laugh. It was short lived, and she quickly covered her mouth. But too late. People had heard her laugh.
“I’m sorry, but was that y/n I just heard laugh?!” Gloin shouted from the table.
“We got y/n to laugh!” Kili shouted.
The dwarves roared and cheered as if this was the greatest achievement. Y/n looked at Gandalf and Elrond. Gandalf had a wide smile on his face. Elrond had a cocked eyebrow, but he had a small smile on his face.
Y/n looked down in embarrassment from all the attention, but she had a smile on her face. This actually felt kind of nice. She watched as the dwarves continued to goof off, laughing and just having the time of their lives. Even Thorin seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling as he watched his company.
Thorin was happy that his company were enjoying themselves. He might have been a little smug that it was at the price of the Elves discomfort. He knew it might be a long time before any of them were able to find joy like this again. The burden of reclaiming his people’s home and keeping them safe was heavy on his shoulders.
He cast a glance at y/n and was glad to see that she seemed to be enjoying herself. She had remained quiet as usual, but she was smiling as she watched the others. Watching her, he was reminded of a memory from his younger days, before Erebor had been lost. When the days had been simple, and happiness was in abundance. He sighed, longing for those days again.
They finished dinner, and went to their separate quarters. Y/n sat on her bed, tired, but happy. But soon her thoughts turned elsewhere. She thought of her family. She knew they had to be worried sick. She prayed as often as she could that God was somehow letting them know that she was alright. She felt so bad for her mom. She had been through enough; she didn’t need this.
The sky grew dark, and y/n started to get ready for bed. She was interrupted by a knock on her door. She answered it, and was greeted by Gandalf.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Y/n asked.
“My dear, will you follow me please? I need to speak to Lord Elrond, and I would very much like you to be there.” Gandalf told her.
“Um, why? I don’t think my input is that important.” Y/n said.
“I think it would be wise if you were there to hear what is said.” Gandalf said.
“Uh, ok, I guess I’ll come along.” y/n said.
Y/n followed Gandalf until they came into a room. Thorin and Balin were already there waiting. Y/n was glad to see Bilbo, who came to stand beside her. Bilbo smiled at her.
Thorin watched Bilbo walk over to y/n. He didn’t understand why the wizard had insisted she be here. He would rather her be with the rest of the company where she could be safe. He didn’t trust these elves.
Thorin turned and saw that Lord Elrond was walking into the room. He immediately stood so he was between y/n and Elrond.
“Lord Elrond, thank you for meeting with us. We could use your help on a delicate subject.” Gandalf greeted.
Of course.” Elrond said.
“I do not understand why it is needed.” Thorin abruptly said.
“Thorin-“ Gandalf started to say.
“Why is it you feel that why?” Elrond said.
“Our business is no concern of Elves.” Thorin said.
“For goodness sake, Thorin. Show him the map.” Gandalf said.
“It is the legacy of my people. It is mine to protect. As are its secrets.” Thorin said, glaring at Gandalf.
“Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!” Gandalf exclaimed.
“Your pride will be your downfall.” Gandalf told Thorin.
Thorin just stood there defiantly.
Y/n and Bilbo looked at each other. Y/n glanced over at Balin who had been pacing back and forth. He seemed unsure about the situation, but was clearly going to stand by whatever his leader decided. Y/n looked at Thorin, who had also happened to glance over at her. She quickly averted her eyes.
Thorin watched y/n out of the corner of his eyes. He was absolutely appalled at the thought of sharing his people’s secrets with the Elves, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that if he wanted to get y/n somewhere safe, he would have to do what was necessary to speed up the progress of their quest.
“You stand here in the presence of one of the few people in Middle Earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond.” Gandalf insisted.
Thorin stood silently. He glanced over at y/n and seemed to make his mind up about something. He took the map out of his pocket and stepped forward to hand it to Elrond.
“Thorin, no.” Balin said, grabbing Thorin’s arm.
Thorin gave Balin a reassuring nod, and with a reluctant sigh, handed the map to Elrond. Elrond slowly opened the map and looked at it.
“Erebor?” he questioned.
Thorin gave nothing away as he watched Elrond. Y/n watched nervously, remembering what Thorin had said about the Elves trying to stop them.
“What is your interest in this map?” Elrond asked Thorin.
Thorin opened his mouth to answer, but Gandalf spoke first.
“It’s mainly academic. As you know this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text.” Gandalf said.
Elrond seemed satisfied with that answer, and stepped away to look at the map in a better light. Thorin nodded his thanks to Gandalf.
“You still read ancient Dwarvish, do you not?” Gandalf asked.
Everybody was silent as Elrond looked at the map. He lifted it up slightly into the light of the moon.
“Cirth Ithil.” Was all he said.
“Moon runes? Of course.” Gandalf said quietly.
Everyone looked at Gandalf.
“An easy thing to miss.” Gandalf said with a small smile.
Y/n saw out of the corner of her eye that Thorin glaring at Gandalf out of the corner of his eyes. Y/n then had a thought that Gandalf had known the entire time, and just hadn’t said anything so the company would end up at Rivendell. But why?
“Well, in this case, that is true. Moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon as the same shape and season as the day on which they were written.” Elrond said, turning back to the group.
“Can you read them?” Thorin asked.
“If you will follow me.” Elrond said. He turned and walked away. The others started to follow him. Y/n didn’t miss the suspicious look that passed between Thorin and Balin.
They followed Elrond through a series of hallways, seeming to climb higher with every step. At one point during the walk, y/n had gone from walking next to Bilbo to Thorin now by her side. They passed a guard at one point, and Thorin placed his hand on her shoulder until the guard was gone. She flinched slightly at the contact, then looked at his hand in confusion.
They walked through a large doorway that was carved out of the stone surrounding it, and stepped out into the open. Y/n was in awe at the sight. They were standing on a large ledge that looked out onto Rivendell. The ledge was behind a waterfall that fell from the mountains above it. Right at the edge of the ledge was a pedestal of some sorts that seemed to be made of a type of clear crystal.
“These runes were written on a midsummers eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly 200 years ago.” Elrond said as they walked up to the pedestal.
Thorin placed a hand on y/n’s back to keep her by his side. He felt his heart twitch in pain as she flinched at his touch. Balin looked worriedly between her and Thorin.
“It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon shines upon us tonight.” Elrond said as he placed the map on the pedestal.
Everyone watched as the moon came out from behind the clouds. The light hit the pedestal, which began to shine with an ethereal light. They watched in amazement as new words began to appear on the map. Y/n heard Thorin take a sharp breath. Elrond leaned forward slightly to read the words.
“Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the keyhole.” Elrond translated.
What in the Harry Potter was that supposed to mean? Y/n felt like she had a massive itch at the back of her brain.
“Durin’s Day?” Bilbo asked from where he was standing next to Balin.
“It is the start of the dwarves new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together.” Gandalf answered Bilbo.
“This is ills news.” Thorin said deep in thought. Y/n looked at him.
“Summer is passing, Durin’s Day will soon be upon us.” Thorin said, looking at Balin.
“We still have time.” Balin said.
“Time? For what?” Bilbo asked, confused.
“To find the entrance. We have to be standing in exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be open.” Balin said, getting excited with every word.
Y/n bit the inside of her cheek when she realized that he had just said all that right in front of Elrond.
“So this is your purpose, to enter the mountain?” Elrond asked.
Bilbo and Balin shared a worried look.
“What of it?” Thorin asked with a challenging tone.
“There are some who would not deem it wise.” Elrond said, handing the map back to Thorin.
“What do you mean?” Gandalf asked.
“You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle Earth.” Elrond said. He turned and walked back the way that they had come.
Y/n and Bilbo looked at each other in confusion. The four of them then followed Gandalf back through the passage that they had gone through.
“So what’s the plan Thorin? What are we to tell the others?” Balin asked.
Thorin didn’t say anything at first. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
“If we want to reach the mountain in time, we don’t have time to waste. We need to move quickly.” Thorin said.
“So we leave at first light?” Balin asked.
“Thorin thought for a second.
“No. We can spare a few days, a week at most. The company could use the rest, and it would allow us to resupply for the journey.” Thorin said.
Balin nodded his head.
“Agreed. It will also give y/n a chance to finish healing. I have no doubt in the healing abilities of the Elves, but better safe than sorry.” Balin said. He turned to y/n.
“How is your ankle lass? It was in pretty bad shape earlier, but you seem to able to walk on it just fine.” Balin asked her.
“It’s perfectly fine. Doesn’t even hurt.” Y/n said.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Balin said.
“It may be wise in the future to proceed with a little more caution.” Thorin said.
“That sounds like a good idea for all of us to follow.” Bilbo said awkwardly.
They continued on in silence until they came to where they would split up to their separate rooms. Y/n said goodnight to Bilbo, then headed to where her room was. She was caught off guard when Thorin continued to follow her.
“What are you doing?” Y/n asked.
“Escorting you to your room. What else would I be doing?” Thorin asked.
“Um, you don’t have to do that. I know the way there.” Y/n said uncomfortably.
‘I’m sure of that, but it’s still my duty to make sure you reach your destination unharmed.” Thorin said nonchalantly.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I walked alone all the time back home. What you’re doing is just a little weird to me.” Y/n said.
“Wait.” He said. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to him.
‘What do you mean you always walk alone? Are there not any men with half a brain to make sure that the women in your world are unharmed? What if something were to happen to you while you are alone?” Thorin questioned.
If y/n didn’t know any better, she’d say there was fear in his eyes. But she didn’t focus on that. Instead, she got agitated at his words.
“What are you saying?” She asked, turning fully towards him.
“Are you saying I’m incapable of taking care of myself? That I need a man by my side to do anything in life?” She challenged him.
Thorin stared at y/n in shock. He struggled to find the words.
“What, no, of course not! You are just as capable as any of us! You’re stronger than what I first thought. It’s just – “ Thorin was saying, but y/n cut him off.
“But what? I need your permission first? It has to be done in the exact way you say, or I’m just making things difficult for you?! Get over yourself!” Y/n exclaimed. She was now getting really mad, and she felt like she was on the verge of tears.
“I don’t need any man’s approval or permission on what I do in my life. I can walk myself to where it is I need to go, cause you know what, it’s safer that way for me! The amount of men out there who the only thing they want from you is to hurt you, is all I’ve ever known. So sorry if that makes me a little hesitant to trust anybody! I’ve learned I’m better off taking care of myself! Especially after –“ y/n stopped herself before she said anymore.
“Just leave me alone.” Y/n said quietly. She turned and walked towards her room, leaving Thorin standing there on his own.

Thorin sat on the edge of his bed deep in thought. It was the next evening, and the company had just finished dinner. He hadn’t really been able to eat anything though. After y/n’s outburst, he had been left there dumbfounded. He knew that in other worlds, the treatment of women wasn’t exactly the best. But for it to be bad enough that a woman considered herself safer alone, it left him with nightmares.
Y/n had avoided him the entire day. Heck, she had avoided just about everybody. When Thorin had seen her, she had just looked exhausted. He feared that she hadn’t gotten a good nights sleep. He wanted to go and comfort her, and get to the bottom of what had made her upset. But he was truly afraid of approaching her. What he had said to her had apparently triggered some buried emotions. Ones she had yet to face. He knew personally how it just seemed easier to keep all those buried and forgotten about instead of dealing with them.
Thorin was interrupted by a knock on his door. He groaned. He didn’t really want to deal with anyone at the moment. But he got up, and went and answered. Standing there was Dwalin.
“Dwalin.” Thorin greeted. He stepped aside so Dwalin could enter, then closed the door.
“Thorin, something has been bothering you. You are more quiet than usual.” Dwalin said, folding his arms as he stared down his leader.
Thorin hung his head at Dwalin’s words. Dwalin’s face softened as he saw that his beloved friend was clearly struggling with something.
“It’s y/n. I apparently pushed the wrong buttons last night as I was escorting her to her room.” Thorin said.
“What did you do?” Dwalin asked.
“Apparently by escorting her, I was suggesting that I thought that she was incapable of anything without a man by her side.” Thorin said, grimacing as he remembered her words.
“What, that’s absurd. No woman is incapable of anything. Whoever thinks that has air for brains.” Dwalin snorted.
“On that you are right. But apparently, men treat their women so horridly in her world, that they consider themselves safer alone, that it’s almost impossible for them to put their trust in someone.” Thorin said quietly.
“What? If I had even an ounce of an opportunity, I’d march myself to that other world, and give those idiots a lesson they and their descendants won’t be forgetting anytime soon! I’ve never understood the type of monster that would willingly hurt their women!” Dwalin exclaimed, extremely agitated. Thorin nodded his head at Dwalin’s words.
“You and I are in agreement there. Those, there isn’t a word that could correctly describe them, need to be shown the error of their ways. But it concerns me. That’s partly why y/n is still so wary around us.” Thorin said.
“It’s all she’s ever known.” Dwalin confirmed sadly.
Thorin nodded.
“But there’s something else.” Thorin said.
Dwalin looked at him.
“She’s even more so wary because of what happened to her. She almost spoke of it until she stopped herself.” Thorin said.
“You need to talk to her. Apologize for putting her in that position. It may help her see we mean her no harm.” Dwalin said.
Thorin frowned. He hadn’t done anything wrong, at least he thought he hadn’t. He immediately got frustrated with himself, and turned away from Dwalin.
“I’ve had a thought about something else.” Thorin said.
“About what?” Dwalin asked.
“It may be safer if she stayed here.” Thorin said reluctantly.
“What?! What makes you think that is reasonable?!” Dwalin exclaimed.
“The journey ahead is only going to get more perilous. I am currently being hunted by someone who wants my head on a spike, and that threat extends to all those who stand by my side. As much as it hurts my pride, the best place for her may be here.” Thorin said through clenched teeth.
Dwalin looked at him. He wanted to argue, but he could see the logic behind Thorin’s words.
“Have you made a decision yet?” Dwalin asked.
“No. I don’t know what would be the best. My instinct is telling me to keep her with us, but my head says that would only put her in more danger. It is my responsibility to keep her safe. And I’ve failed so far.” Thorin stated.
“No you have not Thorin. No one could have predicted the trolls or the orcs. I will trust you to decide the best course of action. Though convincing her of it, in her state, she may take it the wrong way.” Dwalin said.
“True. I will have to tread delicately.” Thorin said.
“I will think more on the subject tomorrow. I currently do not have the energy to think so heavily on this matter. Hopefully a nights sleep will aid me.” Thorin told Dwalin.
“Aye, I agree. Who knows how long it will be till we have real beds again. Enjoy it while we can.” Dwalin said, walking to the door.
He left, leaving Thorin on his own.  Thorin sat at the edge of his bed, and pulled out a small picture. It was a drawing of him, his father and grandfather. It was from when he was a child.  It reminded him of memory. He snorted at the thought of it. He still had the scar. He looked at it now, looking at how it curved around his arm. He knew it was unlikely that they were still alive, but the least he could hope was that the being with the matching scar hadn’t suffered when Smaug had attacked. It was the only other time he had failed to protect someone. He wouldn’t let that happen again.