YAAAAY! I DID IT! I got the next chapter up and ready! Thank you xSeriouslyPadfoot for your review. You are always one awesome guy. And thank you MissCallaLilly. Yes, it is a new change I thought I'd try. I'm happy you like it. So, here we are with the next chapter. Thank you and enjoy.
Chapter 2- Caught in the Act
I did only have to re-fuel the fire once last night. The hard part was trying to go back to sleep. My mattress was uncomfortable by now no matter which position I laid in. I tried even getting up to find more dead grass and moss to make it a little softer. It only works for a short time. I don't know how many hours pass before I do finally drift to sleep again. The second time I wake up is to the bright light of the morning. Birds chirping about and my fire died down to embers. I have this habit, if I get to sleep in, I wake up at eight in the morning and go back to sleep till ten. Right now, it is very tempting to do that again. In fact, I already start drifting back to sleep. It's not like I knew what or where I was going, might as well take the rest while I can right?
Wrong. No matter how I tried I couldn't fall back fully asleep. I must have grown too used to the comfortable mattress of the inn. Sighing I get up, pack up my camp and assess which direction I ought to try. A little more south of me was another river. I wonder if I follow it would I run into a town or such. My grumbling stomach reminds me that food is still an important thing. Oh dear. What did I have?
Rummaging through my bag, I count my blessings again at having found a protein bar. Wasn't much but it oughta hold me over for a while longer. Oh but water is important too. Hmm.. How do I use this water filter thing I got?
I spend the first hour experimenting with my gear, chowing on my protein bar. Like most of it's kind, it doesn't taste all that good, but beggars can't be choosers now. "Protein bars and water, breakfast for champs." I mutter to myself as I trek towards the river. As much as I liked exploring, I didn't like not knowing where exactly I was.
Some time later, I reach the river. The water flows towards the lake, but I want to go the opposite direction. So here I go. This was so strange now that I had time to think on it. I didn't have much to go by but just on what has happened so far, nothing has given me much clue as to what exactly is going on. I almost miss the scenery that is slowly passing me by. The forest is still majestically beautiful and unknown to me.
I took a break under the shade of a tree to rest my feet for a little. Although I was fully awake and able, my body still felt sluggish and drained. It was a frustrating thing when sleep was not as adequate a part of your life as it should be. Nothing can be done for it now, as I had some place to be, which I do believe includes a real bed that I'd much rather be in than here without even a tent. Off I go following the river. It is not without some trepidation that I venture on. Without Google maps or people to ask, navigating completely on your own for the first time with no training is scary. All I have to go on, which is still a guess, is that this river is supposed to be the Brandywine river that will eventually meander into Hobbiton. For the first half of the day I make myself walk at a brisk pace, faster than normal but not too bad to tire me out too quickly.
During my traveling, that feeling when the tank might be full is going off again, so I meander to the tall grass and trees at the side to look for a place to relieve myself. The one thing those survival shows don't show you too often, is how to relieve yourself without accidentally using poison ivy for toilet paper. Luckily for me I know what poison ivy looks like anyway so at least THAT won't be a problem. Doesn't mean there aren't other plants that might be. I undo my belt and proceed to drop the draws'. The good thing is that everything is sooo much less mortifying when you're by yourself…
"Oh! Mizi-koan!"
The frightened shriek has me jerking badly enough to throw myself off balance and fall sideways in a hasty attempt to hide my behind in the itchy grass. Almost directly behind me stands a boy clad in a cardigan, covering nearly his entire face. In my stupor I can't think of any words to say.
"I- so sorry! Sorry!" He stammers as he spins on his heels and takes off in the woods.
"Wait. WAIT! AGH!" I call out as I recover to put everything back on. The mortification is over nine thousand, but the danger of orcs is over ten thousand. Plus, he might have some directions I could use. "Hold on! You can come back now!" I try following him as best as I could, keeping the river direction south of me. His distant footsteps are all I have to tell me which way he went.
Another figure stepped just in front of me, causing me to stop abruptly so as not to smack into them. I blink at this new guy who looks at me as if I am invading his privacy. "Lookin' for somethin'?" This new guy…what's his deal? I grimace at him and his shark fins looking hair.
"Excuse me." I say curtly as I try to weave around him. However, he doesn't let me pass.
"Hold on now miss." He said holding up his arm to block me. "Ye seem ta be tied up about something. Mind telling me what yer chasing after?"
I scowl at him, keeping out of reach from him in case he wants to try anything. His shrewd features isn't striking me as a friendly sort. "Look, I'm chasing after someone that might be in danger or IS a danger. There are orcs out here and standing here chatting with you isn't helping anyone now buzz off."
"Anyone scarin' away my brother makes me chatty." He growled right back. "So you can tell me what's crawled up your arse." He crossed his arms over his chest to stare me down.
I snort inwardly. I am not by no means saying some some BAMF soldier in the military, I just don't get intimidated THAT easily. But, what he did say does give me pause. "Your brother?" I relax just a little. "We bumped into each other, at the wrong time and he took off this way. But like I said earlier there are monsters about. He could have ran straight into a group of them. That or I m about to confirm a hideout for bandits." I say raising a brow in a pointed look at him.
The guy scoffs at me. "Fat load a good yer doing yerself then, running right into their camp. I could 'ave grabbed ya that'd be the end of it. Lucky for you I'm not."
"Oh good. Hopefully you can prove that to me and I can tell my team behind me to put away their bows and notched arrows." I reply evenly.
The red head narrowed his eyes at me, pointed nose wrinkling as he looked as if sniffing around for danger like some paranoid muskrat.
Another heavy pounding came adjacent from him. "You saw what? Nori where did you run off to?!"
"Here." The red head gritted out as he watched me. I continue my façade as some health inspector, watching him expectantly.
Then came two more people, an older, broader built man and the young boy I might have traumatized trailing behind him. They both looked at me with flummoxed faces. "Oh. Hello there." The greyed man said, eyes flickering up and down at my person. "What's happening here?" he directed the question more to Shark hair Nori.
How funny. He's already frowning at Nori first like it's his fault. Fine by me.
"This is the one tha' scared our little bother and was chasin' him with archers not far behind her." Nori rumbled out, turning all eyes back at me.
'Oh this butthead.'
"I accidentally scared him, unlike you purposefully harassing me. I went looking for him because I don't want to say I scared a boy running straight into an orc or bandit camp." I straighten out with my own hard look.
Dori let out a loud sigh through his nose. "Bootless elves. We can't even get directions without trouble. My apologies miss, for my brothers bothering you. Your concern for his safety is very kind thank you."
He makes a small dip of his head in a bow like manner. The way he spoke, as if this was something he recited daily. It did help me relax a little more, along with a small smile of my own.
"It's no trouble. Just a misunderstanding." I reply, feeling kind of sorry for him. "Can, I help you with something?"
"Not unless you have better directions than 'I think it's this way.'" The Eledest Ri replied sening a dry glare at Nori. "Oh but my manners are slipping. I am Dori, at your service. This is Nori, and this is Ori."
Ori was having trouble making eye contact with me, not that I blame him. "Hullo miss. I'm terribly sorry about, earlier."
"It's alright. We'll leave it behind us." I re-assure. But I probably should have phrased it better. His face heats back up again. "I am Alicia. Nice to meet you all."
Nori smirks to the side.
"I can show you to the river along with which way the large lake is and which way The Shire is SUPPOSED to be. Aside from that I am jut as lost." I shrug helplessly.
Nori perks up a little at that. "The Brandywine river, right?" he looks to Dori. "That'll help us a great deal."
"You're certain about that?" Dori asks pessimistically.
"It's like what she says. Only two places the river can take ya." Nori smirks. "Aye. Show us to the river will ya?" He said looking back at me.
Not quite sure I like the way he just said that, speaking as if I am just some animatronic servant out here for him, but I decide to let it go and turn back south wordlessly. I walk slow at first, giving the brothers time to pick back up their packs and follow. They didn't take long at all recovering their things and catching up to me.
When we cleared the woods again, Dori grumbles behind me. "Thank Mahal we are not so surrounded by trees."
Nori went sniffing around again. "Where are the archers you mentioned?"
"…There are none. I just made that up 'cuz you were being rude, like a possible bandit."
That earned me a pause and a glare from him. Though the glare was short lived and melted into a subtle bemused smirk. "Not bad." He mumbled.
'Did he just compliment me for lying to him?' If his reputation now is anything like they implied in the movies then getting such a compliment from him in his own 'industry' is a rarity. But that's because he doesn't know anything about MY industry too.
My back pack sits right where I left it, though I probably shouldn't make a habit of leaving stuff lying around here, especially now. "So, that way is the way I came. The lake is that way. And this way, The shire hopefully. Which is also the way I am going." I say as I hoist up my bag back on.
"We're headed that way too." Dori said slowly.
Not until I noticed the silence did I look up at them again. Though I am not sure why they seemed more tense suddenly. "Would you like to come with me?" I offer.
"It would not sit well with me, leaving a lone lass on her own just as lost as we are." Dori admits his thoughts. "Yes, I think traveling together would be the better option."
I think that too would be the smarter choice since we are all headed to the same destination anyway. And it would be wise to try and get on everyone's good side while the opportunity presents itself. "Well. Thank you." I say in gratitude to him. Hoisting my bag properly onto my shoulders, I turn on my heels to continue our trek.
"Here! Where did you get that?" Nori was right behind me as I turned around to face him, he barked suddenly.
"What?" I ask. I turn around in time to see him bolt up to me as if to grab me. "Woah!Heyman,don'tberunninguptomelikethatwhatareyoudoing?!Getchur'mittsoffme!" I fight away from his grasp.
"Ya got somthin' you shouldn't know about. How came you by it?" Nori demands.
"Nori!" Dori berated.
"It's on 'er pack. That, tiny key ya have on it. How did you get it?" Nori demands pointing an accusing finger at me.
I back pedal away from him, scowling as I grumble under my breath. The back pack comes back off to the ground and I see what he's talking about as Dori and Ori join us.
"Smaller…oh." Then it snaps to me. My keychains I decorate my bag with. One of them was a replica of Thrain's key. Oh dear. Now how do I explain that?
I slowly slip off my back pack, pretending to examine what he was talking about while I come up with some story. "Oh the replica." I say evenly.
The dwarves looked on, almost in worry as they see the keychain. "Replica. Why would you have such a thing, let alone knowledge of it?" Nori asks as if ready to jump me.
"I happen to have some talent as a seer." I start the lie through my teeth. Acting skills don't fail me now. "I am looking for the wizard Gandalf for some extra help."
"A seer seeking aid? Not a very good seer then." Nori commented.
"I am not all-knowing." I quip back. "And Gandalf, from what I heard is around five-thousand years old, so he should naturally know something semblance of, aid." I say awkwardly.
"Do you know what that key is?" Dori asked stepping closer in a lowered voice as if we were standing in a crowded room.
"If I understand correctly, It's Thrain's key, well, a small look-alike anyway." I continue.
They had fallen silent, trading glances in a muted conversation. I back-peddle from them again, showing my own unease.
Dori's face had softened just a smidgen when he looks back at me. "Miss Alicia. You must understand what you know is very important information. Allow us to escort you. Gandalf will be there."
It really wasn't much different than before I met them, only this time it is more like I might be their prisoner. Not a fun feeling, being an unofficial convict, but all things considered it is practically my only choice. Unless I might raise suspicion by trying to run. I nod once slowly, hoping that it still looks as if I am still wary of them. They continue their way, and myself trailing next to them.
"Hm, would you mind hiding it away for now?" Dori requests over his shoulder.
Yeah, maybe that's a good idea for now. I comply by taking off the keychains and dropping it in a pocket before continuing. The trek lapses into an awkward silence for us all until Ori sidles next to me. "Your pack is finely crafted by the way."
Aww, sweet guy trying to break the tension. My lips quirk upwards. "Thank you kindly. I am particular about my gear sometimes."
"Where are you from?" He asked next.
"My hometown is called Tod Mission. I don't know who sent me, if anyone did. I was taking a walk. Then everything moved and shimmered like hurricane winds, and when I opened my eyes again, it wasn't the same forest I went for a walk in. Then not long after that the orcs showed up." I answer.
"I have never heard of Tod Mission." Nori says next up ahead. "Your story is already difficult to believe."
"I know. That's why I am also looking for someone with a higher knowledge in magic, as I can only assume that's what the cause is. So, who better to ask than a wizard? They're supposed to be guides anyway." I ramble a little.
"Does your husband know you are here?" Dori asks next.
"I am happily unmarried."
That earns another odd look from him, but it erases quickly, probably remembering his own status. "What of your family then? Does anybody know you are here?" He almost sounded concerned at the end.
"…No." I heave a sigh. "Sure, would have helped if someone told me I'd be here."
"Did you not foresee this coming?"
"No, not every little detail is revealed to me. I said I had SOME talent. Not a professional with an extra thirty years under my belt." I add as we walk on.
Nori tilted his head contemplatively. "When they realize you are missing, they will think you have been kidnapped."
"I think, that I am already, gone, from my home." I say to both him and myself.
"What do you mean?"
"I think that I am already technically…dead now." I try to explain. I am also trying to 'logify' this myself, so I don't know what to believe either. 'Or replaced by one of my many me's from another alternate dimension in reaction to 'cause and effect' coupled by the theory of quantum entanglement…'
"Do you have any idea how to get back home?" Ori asks next. His scribbling in his notebook makes me feel like some lab rat.
"I do not. Yet at least." I reply. "I'll see if Gandalf might be able to help with that too." I try to say as positive as I can as I zip up my jacket. I was his eyes widen even more so as they follow the zipper. He's even cuter in person! "Zipper." I reply.
"They look like little teeth." Ori comments as his tilts a little. "You don't have buttons where you're from?"
"Yes, we still use buttons too. Zippers are an extra help too." I reply.
"Do all the women dress like you?" He interviews.
'I happen to think my style is VERY nice and unique.' I think to myself. Though to people here, any woman not wearing a skirt is probably an oddity. "There are many different styles of clothes where I'm from, for both men and women. My style is pretty normal for travelers."
Ori nods as he takes a few notes again, his eyes glancing at me every so often…Nerd.
With no shame, I do the same eye-balling to him and his brothers. I always though Dori had the most beautiful hair. I want to touch it just to see if I can feel how much product he uses in his hair to keep it styled. But of course, I don't. I wonder if he really is as pessimistic, and mother-henny as he is made out to be in my world.
Same with Nori, though I already see that he is as shifty as he is speculated to be. I wander what his eyebrows would look like unbraided, hanging over his eyes like some camel.
And then there's Ori. He clearly does still have a love for the fine arts. Which leads me to believe he has that hidden 'berserker' talent people want to associate with him. I guess everyone can't stay sweet all the time.
They don't seem to mind too much when I chose to stick to the shade as much as it is provided. A large field is laid out before us and is only dotted with trees when the first half of the day was gone. Once we crossed some sort of invisible line, I notice in the distance, heads popping around trees and shrubs, or peeking out old buildings. I'm sure I am not the only one to see them, though the brothers don't show any signs of being bothered by it. Then again, they might be used to people staring at them for whatever reason.
As we get closer, I see for the very first time, REAL HOBBITS! Or as real as I care to admit all this is right now. They were not quite dressed in the comfortable farmer attire I was expecting. These hobbits had on travel gear and even types of protective armor like chain mail and leathers with knives and bows strapped on their person. They did not scurry away when we came close. All watched us with looks of open suspicion and/or polite curiosity. I try smiling politely to any that happen to lock eyes with me, normally getting a small smile or a head nod in return; their noses wriggling when we passed by. They watched us the whole time entering the borders and a little further in. That's what tips me off. These were The Bounders. The little hobbit version of a strip center's security guards. I happen to find it pretty cool to see even guards looking so happy or tranquil. It used to sadden me to see a good cop's shoulders bowed with the weight of their duties. Of course, I know and they know what they signed up for, but it was still an industry where your coworkers could take advantage of you or your boss inadvertently make you feel like you're not doing good enough. But of course, humans were not hobbits. That and there's just way too many of us to keep up with anyway.
"I thought the books said hobbits lived underground." Ori muses.
"Aye they do. In wee hills and the like. These buildings are built for rangers and bounders." Nori replies.
"Bounders?"
"Aye. Think of 'em like a wee hobbit city guard." Nori taught his youngest brother.
One such hobbit, with a large brimmed hat that curved upwards on the sides like a cat's ears. He started with a polite smile as he stepped in front of us. One hand rested on his hip where no doubt his dagger as he stood in a casual stance. "Hello there, travelers." He greeted first. "Who might you be and brings you to the Borders of The Shire?" Although his voice was friendly, it held an undertone of order that one would often here from officers.
"I am Dori here with my brothers Nori and Ori. We pass on peaceful terms escorting Lady Alicia." The eldest Ri replies in a very 'official' manner.
The Bounder's eyes lazily drifted from him to me, to which I smiled in kind. A lone human woman with a dwarf body guard is a as good a cover up story as any. His trained eyes passed over us both. "Hmm. I assume you come from Ered Luin, taking the route to the Lake. You've not had any troubles on your way here? Such as bandits and the like?"
"Only a small band of orcs west of the hills." Dori answers.
The Bounder's head tilted back in understanding. "Ah. Thank you for letting me know and welcome." The hobbit smiled with a deep dip of his hat before waving and stepping aside."
I waved back habitually as we kept on going, leaving the old buildings far behind in our wake. Thanks to my skills I have learned how to adopt the cool calm and collected face and not show my excitement and thrill. On the inside though I can't stop marveling at everything around me. Everything was just so, alive and green and clean! By clean I mean that I don't see the lost trash bag or paper cup liter on the side. It was part of the reason why I moved to the 'country' neighborhood. So that I could see real nature, but the land in my home town and cities I have been thus far do not compare to this. I'd have to scour the continent to find places like this.
"We'll make camp here." Dori's voice disrupted my inner philosophies.
I look at him just in time to see him slide off his own small bag to the ground. His head swiveled left and right, he took a deep inhale through his nose both directions. His eyes scanning the ground too. I deem it is probably to make sure we are not about to sit in an ant bed. Rolling hills were still all around us along with plenty of trees all over the place. I kneel down to the designated spot that might provide as our camp fire, helping prep the spot while Ori went gathering some fire wood.
Nori wordlessly crouched down and started up a small fire before I could get out my own fire starter. Unlike me though, he has a little tinder box, complete with all the flint and steel the little thing could hold. Well, since he's got this taken care of, I'll just go see about myself.
"Be right back."
"Where are you going?" Dori whirled my way as if I was planning to blow up his house.
"Bathroom break." I say.
"A what? There is no bathing room here Miss." Dori looked perplexed.
I blink at him. "I gotta pee." I grit out.
"Oh. Ah yes. Not too far." He cleared his throat as he turned back to rummaging through his bag.
"Jeeze. Try to be discreet around here." I mutter jokingly.
I got a dry-humored snort from Nori, red tinted ears and cheeks from Dori, and a 'what did I miss?' look from Ori when he returns.
With my backpack slid off, I head off to the nearest bushes that provide me a little privacy. I can still feel his eyes burning holes at my back as I leave. I don't care, the tank is full. I need to empty it. I didn't mention it before but having to do all your business with no toilet paper sucks! Last night I had the comfort of knowing I was all by myself and there was plenty of grass and leaves and so forth I could use to get clean and take my time and look as hillbilly as I wanted. Now, I got a dignified dwarf family I can talk to about the weather while I figure out how to do it again as subtly as possible. Well, hopefully they won't use the same spot when he must go and come back here seeing half the grass pulled up. The river is still at our side, so I wash my hands and face by it before returning to our little spot where Nori took over and has a nice pleasant fire going. He even pulled out some bread, cheese and meat for us to have a light dinner. I feel a little bad for him having to share his meal with me, so I offer my little water pouch to him that came with the water filter kit.
He looks at it like I am offering him a beheaded mutant rabbit from mars. "What is that?"
"It's just water, in a simple water pouch." I say easily as I take a drink from the spout to show it's not poisoned and quite easy to use before offering to him again. "Thank you." I say once he extends one of the simple meals out to me.
He refuses it by gesturing to his own water reservoir pouch. His eyes still look at mine oddly, probably due to the blueish illustrations on the plastic pouch that Sawyer water filters usually have.
We lapse into silence before Ori fires off his questioning again. "What kind of visions do you have?"
"What kind?" I ask in mild confusion. "Kinds relating to the future." I am honestly unsure what exactly he meant by that question.
"Do they tell you of a certain future? Of any one you come across?" Ori elaborated.
"Well, as I mentioned before. I am new to it. They normally come like any typical dream does. Some parts are symbolic, and I have to do a little research to see what they might mean. While some parts are straight forward."
That seemed fair enough to him.
Dori asks the next question by glancing at my backpack. "Have you had any visions in relation to it? The key I mean."
I take a moment to think on this one, breathing in the crisp air as I looked up at the darkening sky. "I had one. It starts out with me walking down an old pathway when I came across that key, only it was much bigger, a little over a foot in length." I say as I describe with my hands. I knew that even my over exaggerated size was not at all accurate, but it's a 'vision' I am trying to sell after all. "And when I picked it up it was very heavy. Hinting to me it's got a huge burden to it, or it's of great importance. Then I am walking down this hall lined with all kinds of doors, but only one was the same greyish color as the key and it was way up high. That hints to me that either it's very hard to get to, or it is literally a very high door. I climb up to the door that matched the same color as the key and sure enough, it fit." I stop to see if he was buying any of this. He seems to be studying me to see if I am making any of this up. Or in my case, how well I am telling this story.
Dor's face looks even grumpier, his pinchable cheeks pulled down with the frown, making it hard for me to tell if he believes it or is secretly thinking I am an idiot in his head.
Nori's too, is a very hard one for me to read. The subtle reactions like head tilting or short brows quirking upwards isn't giving me much to work with either. He casts a look at Dori when finally a small smirk is shown. Dori grumbled under his breath something I don't catch. Nor do I help myself from asking. The elder just hakes his head and huffs though.
"That key first belonged to King Thror, who passed it down to King Thrain, who should have passed it down to our king Thorin Oakenshield." Dori summarizes. "So yes. That key is of great importance. Where it is now, I haven't the slightest idea."
"Yet." I say optimistically. "Maybe it'll show up along your own paths, like in my vision with me."
The elder pauses in his re-lacing his gloves to look at me with some scrutiny. "Pardon me Miss Alicia but, how old are you?" Dori asked in a softer voice as he passed me one of the little sandwiches.
"I am twenty nine."
The three brothers do a simultaneous freeze and stare at me. There was an audible groan that made me look at them in question.
"Even better. Now we have a child. All on her own and not even a guardian of any kind to help her." Dori grumbled.
I look at him with my own 'excuse me?' look. "I ammm NOT a child. I am very much an adult, by human standards."
"Do adults still play along fallen trees with their arms out like birds where you're from? Because it seems to me like you've a lot of growing up still." Dori replies tutting a finger at me.
"Why cuz' I'm not complaining about everything all the time?" I retort in mild jest to him. "Is that what I'm missing?"
Ori looks up in a shy manner to me from his pad with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Amongst other things." Dori says back. The way his tone had sounded light hearted, re assured me that he took no offence to my tiny barb.
"Hey. God knew what he was doing when he created me, whether anybody else thinks so or not." I reply with confidence. "Same with you three."
"Aye, clearly you don't know what you're doing." Nori smirks. I can't tell whether it was a playful or smug smirk.
"And you know what you're doing? A year prior to this day did you know you'd be here in the Shire, doing what you're doing?" I smile at him.
Nori's face doesn't change much more than the smirk slowly disappearing. Though once again I don't know if because the mirth just wore off or if I struck a chord somewhere. I hope it's the first.
"Let's get some rest. I'll take the first watch." Dori says.
"We don't need watches now that we're in The Shire. The Bounders and rangers patrol these lands." Nori unrolls his bed roll.
Dori looked unconvinced, though now I think he will always look like that about something new that he couldn't see with hard evidence.
The colors of the evening sky are more prominent in the fading sunlight. There was this feeling of peace and contentment that I have. It is as if this moment, disbelieving as it is, is an all-too-rare intimacy that makes me realize how many times people acted this scene instead of really lived it.
They each had their own bedroll that they set up across the fire. I had once bought a lot of this thick denim material from Wal-Mart's fabric center. I fold it up to where it would make a long scarf or sash. Unfolded it became a blanket or in this instance, a 'bedroll' to keep me off the direct ground. I loves me creative and multifunctional tools. The ground is also a lot softer here than my first night by the lake, but I do look forward to being in a real bed soon I hope.
Yeeeeep. I just went there. Half mooning poor little Ori. Seemed like a funny idea at the time. XD
Yes Ori is normally the shy quiet type, but I believe every now and then he has a voice too you know. So I might have made him speak up a little more than normal and I hope that didn't bother you too much.
I know Alicia might seem a little laid back and taking it all in stride, but she is just going with the flow at the moment anyway. Also seems like a good idea at the time. Originally it was supposed to be Thorin she runs into instead of the Ri Bros. But again I wanted to try something a little different. I don't want to give away too much, but I can say, don't worry too much for Balin. :) he'll be back.
Reviews are my precioussss...
"Oh! Mizi-koan!" (MY EYES)
