Although it might've been faster, Sigrid refused to take a boat. A number of years had passed since the dragon's attack on Esgaroth, but being on water still made her feel uneasy. It made her feel a traitor, in a way; she had spent her first sixteen years living and working on the water without a fear. It had lulled her to sleep on sleepless nights, cooled her down in the hot summer heat. In the water she saw home and life; now, though, she could only see fire and death.

The journey wasn't laborious, taking only a few hours at most, and with Tauriel by her side Sigrid had little to worry about. The forest, though, still made her uneasy. Water. Wide open spaces. Closed in spaces. Darkness. The nightmares came less frequently than they had before, but certain things – like this forest – would often bring them back.

One year ago, nearly to the day, Sigrid left the Kingdom of Dale for the Woodland Realm. It had taken some months to convince her father of the move; she hadn't wanted to leave, but after Tauriel had suggested it Sigrid could think of little else.

"But why do you want to leave me?" Tilda asked as she cuddled into her sister's warm side. Spring was nearly upon Dale, but the chill of winter lingered in the air. There was plenty of space in their quarters – their father was the king, after all – but after all the things that had come to pass, the sisters preferred to stay together.

Sigrid sighed in frustration. She had spent the entire day explaining the situation to her younger sister. "I know you're upset, Tilda, but I'm not leaving you."

Although Sigrid couldn't see, Tilda rolled her eyes. "Are you leaving?"

"Well," Sigrid responded. "Yes."

"Are you leaving with me?"

Sigrid hesitated, knowing where Tilda was going with her line of inquiry. "…No, Tilda. I'm not. I'm not leaving –"

"–Because of me, I know. Da wants you to… 'build diplomatic relations' or something. I know."

Sigrid couldn't help but giggle at her sister's imitation of their father. It was true; at least part of the reason Bard had agreed to send his oldest daughter to the Woodland Realm was to help enhance the relationship between the people of Dale and the elves such a short distance away. Dealings after the Battle of Five Armies could have been considered cool, at best, and while the Elven King had sent aid to Dale in form of helping hands, supplies, and food, communication between the two races was limited. Thranduil Oropherion was as aloof and unreachable as always.

There was another reason, though, that Sigrid was loath to tell her sister. The nightmares had been getting worse. The fear that gripped her heart every time she heard the clashing of swords or the intermittent sounds that would make their way from Erebor was becoming unbearable. She kept that fear inside, buried deep beneath the resilient exterior she presented to the world around. She was the Princess of Dale: there was no place for fear or weakness.

"I'll be back, Tilda. And you can come visit me," Sigrid whispered into her sister's hair. Tilda curled even closer to her sister in response. "You can see the elves,"

"Mmmhmm," Tilda muttered.

"And by the time you visit, I'll know my way around the Woodland Realm and can show you all of the discoveries I've made."

"Mmmhmm."

"And Tauriel will be there," Sigrid continued.

Tilda smiled against her sister's neck. "I like Tauriel."

Moments passed and silence once again engulfed the room. Sigrid was drifting off to sleep when Tilda spoke again. "What will I do without you?"

"You'll do what you normally do, silly. Take your lessons, help Da, keep yourself out of trouble."

"But," Tilda hesitated. "You've never left me alone before."

Sigrid rolled away from her sister and onto her back. This was the part of leaving that Sigrid had dreaded. Tilda was right; she hadn't been without Sigrid before, at least for not any longer than a few hours. And then Sigrid, she hadn't been without her younger sister since Tilda was brought into the world, kicking and screaming. "You've never left me alone either."

Then Tilda said something that had broken her heart, nearly convincing her to never leave her home in Dale. "But I've never wanted to."

"Tauriel," Sigrid called to the elf-maiden riding slightly ahead. "Would you mind if we stopped here a moment?"

In response Tauriel slowed her horse to a stop which allowed Sigrid to catch up. "Are you okay?" Tauriel asked, searching her friend's face with concern. "You look like you're about to be sick."

Sigrid nodded in response, her gaze fixed on the stone city off in the distance. This was the first she'd seen of Dale in an entire year. Her family – her father, her sister, her brother – were somewhere in the maze of streets that made up the city. Given the time of day, Sigrid expected that they would soon be sitting down to dinner. Bain will have just washed up after finishing his training for the day, while her father, she suspected, would be rushing from an important meeting with some important delegates or diplomats or councilmembers. A year ago, Tilda's schedule had changed day-by-day to suit her moods, so Sigrid couldn't even begin to guess where her sister will have been.

They'd exchanged letters, of course, and Sigrid kept a journal of her thoughts so Tilda could learn all about the time she'd spent with the elves, but Sigrid had seen none of her family throughout her time in the Woodland Realm. They had wanted to visit, of course, but a fire had broken out in Dale, destroying the newly-built market. Soon after, an illness spread throughout the city, confining its residents indoors. While it wasn't a deadly virus, it had been enough to spread panic and force her family to delay any trips – however short – out of Dale.

In every letter Tilda had begged and begged to visit the Woodland Realm, but in every response Sigrid was forced to remind her sister that she wasn't allowed to travel alone. Every suggestion Tilda put forward was – in her eyes – shot down by excuses. No, Tauriel couldn't come pick her up because she was unable to take leave from her post as captain of the Elven Guard. No, Sigrid was not able to convince their father to ignore his duties so they could come visit. No, they were not going to hire a guard to travel with Tilda to Mirkwood.

They had all seemed like legitimate responses, but as time went on Sigrid questioned whether she was in fact doing enough for her younger sister. Sigrid had spent so much of her life taking care of others that prior to her year away, she was not in the habit of taking care of herself. It wasn't selfishness, she told herself. It was healing. She wasn't sure Tilda would see it as such, though.

"Are you ready?" Tauriel asked quietly, unsure of what was keeping Sigrid from moving forward.

Sigrid tore her eyes away from Dale and looked toward her friend. "No," she replied, with a small half smile while sitting straight in the saddle, "but I'm not sure if I ever will be."

With one last glance at the forest behind her and the lake to her side, Sigrid urged her horse forward. Fear had driven her decisions for far too long, and she was determined to not let it rule her any longer, even if that meant facing a sister who no longer loved her as she did.